The job market kicked into another gear in March. We received many new jobs in January and February but there was essentially no interview activity until this month.
The new year has settled into focus and recruiting is a now a top priority for a majority of chemical chemicals companies. The refining sector has made a slight comeback and the first real batch of refining jobs arrive in January. We filled two of those refining jobs in the end of March. The chemical industry around the olefins chain remains the growth engine but there is good activity all across the market. Salary levels increases on job offers have ranged from 0% – 9.2 this year. We are no longer in the days when the oil/gas stoked job market was offering base increases above 10. It is nice if it happens but it is certainly not the norm any longer. Don’t let an inordinate focus on a particular salary increase cause you to miss out on the great opportunities that this growing market offers.
We feel that the rapid hiring pace that was established in March will continue. Our client base, that has been developed over the last 25 years, continues to generate several new opportunities per week.