Today's focus: Job search duration shrinks By Amy Schurr

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>The job market may be finally gearing up for growth, according to recent research from Challenger, Gray & Christmas. In the fourth quarter of 2004, managers and executives found jobs at a faster rate than they have in more than three years.

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>Among managers and executives hired in the fourth quarter, the median job search lasted only 3.3 months, according to Challenger's Job Market Index, a quarterly survey of 3,000 discharged managers and executives. By contrast, it took 4.0 months for the same group to find work in the previous quarter (third quarter 2004).

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>The fourth quarter job search time is the shortest since the third quarter of 2001, when the median job search time was 3 months. By contrast, as recently as the first quarter of 2003, job searches were taking 4.2 months.

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>According to Challenger, fast hiring of managers and executives foretells accelerated job gains this year. "Employers are gearing up by adding strength and numbers to their management ranks. This build-up is often followed by increased hiring at lower levels of the corporate ladder and a shift in focus from workforce reduction to workforce retention," says John Challenger, CEO of Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

Industries expected to add staff this year include financial services, healthcare, construction, engineering and certain areas of the technology and manufacturing sectors.

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>To contact: Amy Schurr

>Amy Schurr is an editor for Network World's Management

>Strategies and Features sections. If you have any career topics

>you'd like her to cover or want to comment on this newsletter,

>you can reach her at mailto:aschurr@nww.com.