The economic upheaval in 2009 forced companies to make fundamental changes in the way they do business. Managers were, and in many respects still are, under enormous pressure to re-structure, improve processes, control budgets, down-size, merge or do whatever was necessary to remain profitable or, in some cases, simply survive.
HR managers have found themselves in the eye of this hurricane, needing to remain calm and focused while serious challenges blew all around them. While they dealt with layoffs, low morale, job redundancies, hiring freezes and more, most recruitment firms and head-hunters saw a significant decrease in new mandates. In addition, with unemployment rising dramatically, job seekers found fewer opportunities and in many circumstances lower salaries.
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