Top jobs take longer to find and secure

Senior executive job tenure has dropped by 30 per cent in the past two years, with nearly a third of executives being in their previous job less than five years, a new survey shows.

In an international survey of 650 senior executive job hunters, global human resources consultancy DBM found that it also takes up to 65 per cent longer to find a senior role than at any other time in the past seven years.

From an average of seven months, the time taken to secure a new job has risen to more than 12 months, and the new roles typically pay 21 per cent less than the previous position.

Between 1997 and 2003 the average age of senior executives fell from 50 to 46 years. Also, three times as many executives found themselves between jobs from 2001 to 2003 than from 1997 to 2000.

"Top jobs are taking longer to find and are more difficult to secure," said Reece Notton, national director sales, DBM New Zealand.

"High energy and drive, a sound understanding of technology, and fresh thinking is driving trends towards higher executive turnover and youth-driven recruitment."

With shorter tenures, executives are also under pressure to hit the ground running. The United States trend for organisations to provide "onboarding" coaching for new executives - fast-tracking integration so new recruits can make immediate contributions to business performance - is now starting to appear in New Zealand.

But executives are also insisting on employment contracts that provide them with outplacement support to get them through longer periods of unemployment.