Washington Business Journal (03/05/12) Jeff Clabaugh

More companies are hiring and the professional job market has swung to the job seeker’s favor, according to Philadelphia-based recruiting firm MRINetwork. The company’s survey of its recruiters found 56% of them characterize today’s talent market as candidate-driven, while 44% say it’s still an employer-driven market. Among those same recruiters, 49% say newly created positions are the primary reason for the job openings they are seeing.

“As companies gain more confidence in the economy, many are ready to add headcount and back fill positions that have been left unfilled,” says Rob Romaine, president of MRINetwork. “We are seeing clients reinvesting in their teams, expanding their operations, and striving to gain market share as business improves.” Recruiters report nearly half of their placements took fewer than five weeks from the first interview until an offer was made.