Economists largely agree that the labor market is "cooling," but one recruiting industry veteran says that is a significant understatement. Brian Howard is the founder and president of the Howard Group, a boutique search firm located in Overland Park, Kansas, that has been in business for more than 30 years, which companies hire to recruit candidates in an array of white-collar positions. He said the job market is in "bad shape.
Hiring for tech management and sales has virtually dried up, he said, and while that sector tends to be boom-and-bust, recruiting for insurance – more of an "ebb and flow" industry – is now in a "sad state of affairs," too. Howard has noticed a trend of more white-collar workers accepting independent contractor or 1099 positions out of necessity and companies opting to fill temporary rather than permanent positions.