Quarterly Survey Predicts Workforce Boost

Nearly nine out of 10 VAR500 executives (88.7 percent) reported workforce employee-utilization rates of more than 60 percent in Q4 2003, up 17 percent from a year before. In addition, 46.3 percent predicted their rates would improve during Q1 2004, while only 5 percent expected them to drop.

A separate PricewaterhouseCoopers survey of the fastest-growing U.S. businesses during the past five years found more service- than product-sector CEOs are planning net workforce additions over the next 12 months--78 percent vs. 61 percent. What's more, nearly twice as many service companies as product companies expect to hire professionals and technicians this year--55 percent vs. 28 percent. With any luck, these bullish indicators will lead to rapid expansion in your market segment.