2022, a historic year in terms of recruitment volume
How to qualify the year 2022 for Eric Salmon & Partners
Lorraine Kron-du-Luart: 2022 has been a great time. The Paris office had its best year since we existed and our other entities should also post historic results. This is explained by a booming economy supported, in France, by a State which has injected a lot of money into it. But, we scared ourselves very much at the start of Covid with the feeling of the ground giving way under our feet. And then, from September 2020, the market resumed with sustained consumption, companies less and less cautious. In 2022, companies were still in good shape, in transformation. The number of private equity deals remained at a high level.
How is the recruitment of leaders going?
L. K-du L.: For them, 2022 was also a good year. When leadership search is doing well, it’s good for the leaders. For 2023, we all have the feeling that the market can stop at any time, weighed down by the war in Ukraine, inflation. But it’s a feeling we’ve had since last September and each passing month has shown us, so far, that this is not the case.
What recruitment market in 2023?
How does 2023 look?
L. K-du L.: So far, 2023 is looking very promising. Are we going to achieve 2022 turnover in 2023? I don’t know, but it is probably prudent to count this year on a drop in the volume of activity of between 5 and 10% compared to 2022, even if the consulting activity should compensate for the possible drop in recruitment. Some sectors could be wait-and-see, such as finance or high technology. But others are very active such as industry, health or energy.
Candidates “riders”
What are the implications of this euphoric executive recruitment market for executives?
L. K-du L.: 2022 was a favorable market for “applicants”. The candidates are in great demand displaying attitudes close to those of the divas. We were able to meet candidates who were not very committed or even “cavalier” in the recruitment process. Some signed the contracts but did not show up… They had a choice and they took advantage of it. This has also had the effect of longer search times for businesses.
Recruiters open to diversity
To what extent has this profusion of offers favored more atypical profiles?
L. K-du L.: We have not really seen any effect on the recruitment of seniors or women. To be honest, we were not confronted with thoughts or attitudes that we should not see. Fortunately, our clients do not push us to explicitly select “mainstream” candidates, white, male, under 45 years old.
Little change in executive recruitment processes
To what extent are you seeing process changes from your customers?
L. K-du L.: The only real impact is the lengthening of the recruitment process due to the sometimes cavalier attitudes of candidates. Otherwise, the changes are small. We see, among our customers, an appetite for CSR issues. But this is nothing new. Or the desire to retain teams. But, here again, we are not asked for the short term.
The firm in a few figures
270 recruitments in 2022
13 consultants in 2022 in Paris
CA 2022: NC.
Locations: Paris, Brussels, London, Frankfurt, Geneva, Milan, Rome, Singapore and Hong Kong.