Dear SafetyXChange Members,

You probably know that overall U.S. GDP growth in the fourth quarter of 2005 was tepid. But the job market is sizzling. Let me briefly sketch it out for you.

Confidence Is Soaring

ExecuNet has developed a Recruiters Confidence Index (RCI) to measure how placement professionals view the state of the market. We introduced the RCI in May 2003. In January this year, the RCI reached its highest level since November 2004.

According to the RCI survey of 181 executive recruiters, 79% are confident or very confident that the executive employment market will improve during the next six months ? up from 70% a month ago. During this period, the search industry is expecting a 26% increase in the number of assignments received from corporate clients.

Soaring confidence in the employment market appears to be fueled by solid growth in search activity to start the new year. We're seeing the effects of this at ExecuNet. Our new executive job listings have increased by over 30% during the first month of the new year as compared to January 2005.

Recruiters' short-term outlook also improved, reaching its highest level in more than two years, as 81% are confident or very confident the employment market will improve in the next three months ? up from 69% one month ago.

Confidence In The Executive Employment Market Next Six Months

`The Best Market in Five Years'
"This is the best employment market we've seen in five years," according to my colleague, ExecuNet President Mark Anderson. "In 2005, we saw executive job postings grow by more than 24%, which was significantly greater than the 17% increase in search assignments recruiters were forecasting at the beginning of the year. In response to this growth, a large number of employed executives are starting to look for new positions ? a trend that's adding to the hiring headaches of companies across the country."

To prepare for sustained growth in the employment market, 37% of all search firms plan to hire additional professional staff in the next three months ? nearly double the number of executive recruiting firms that have added professional staff during the past three months (20%).

Conclusion

The exciting doings in the job might not be of much interest to those of you safety professionals who are settled into positions and content. But for those of you who are out of work or thinking about testing the job market, this is extremely welcome news. Rarely has there been a better time for safety professionals to put their skills on the market.

Wishing you career success and a happy Presidents' Day,

Lauryn Franzoni
www.ExecuNet.com

EDITOR'S NOTE
Nick O'Shay Faces His Critics

Nick O'Shay has been catching flak because of the way he behaved in last Monday's issue. Nick read the member mail and asked for a chance to respond and defend his actions. At first, we said no. But we changed our minds. After all, Monday is a U.S. holiday--Presidents' Day--and we weren't going to publish an issue anyway. So, reluctantly, we've agreed to Nick's request.

Accordingly, this Monday's issue will feature a special installment of the Nick O'Shay series. We'll show you a particularly scathing note from a member and then let Nick respond. If you're not a Nick O'Shay fan, take Monday off and please rejoin us on Tuesday. If you are into Nick, check out the Monday issue.

Thanks and Happy Presidents' Day.

Glenn Demby
Editor-in-Chief
SafetyXChange

DEATH IN THE FAST LANE

5 NASCAR Fatalities

The 2006 NASCAR season begins on Sunday with the Daytona 500. Maybe you're not one of the tens of millions of hard core NASCAR fans in North America. Maybe, like me, you don't know the difference between a lug nut and a beer nut. It doesn't matter. If you're a safety professional, you gotta pay at least some attention to NASCAR-if for no other reason, because so many of your workers probably do.

NASCAR also represents something of a safety paradox. We all know that traffic accidents are the leading cause of occupational fatalities. And nobody drives faster or with greater abandon than NASCAR drivers. Fatalities used to be fairly regular occurrences. But since the dramatic death of Dale Earnhardt in 2001, the sport has made dramatic strides in safety-mandatory head and neck restraining (HAN) devices, soft walls, etc. The downside to these advances is the false sense of security instilled in many of today's drivers and the fans that watch them.

So we'd all do well to remember that even the world's best drivers equipped with the most state-of-the-art safety equipment put their lives on the line every time they climb into their racing cars. To drive home the point, here's a profile of five drivers who paid the ultimate price:

1. Dale Earnhardt

No other NASCAR driver (perhaps other than Richard Petty) had as many dedicated fans. On Feb. 18, 2001, Earnhardt lost his life on Turn 4 of the last lap of the Daytona 500 when his black number three car slammed head on into a wall at 200 miles per hour. Earnhardt, who was 50 and at the height of his career, died instantly of massive head injuries. After his death, NASCAR made it mandatory for drivers to wear HAN devices.

2. Adam Petty

Adam Petty lost his life on May 12, 2000. The 25-year-old Petty lost control of his car and hit a wall while practicing for a race at a speedway in Loudon, NH. He died of brain injuries. Grandson of NASCAR legend Richard Petty, Adam would have been the fourth generation of Pettys to race in what was then known as the Winston Cup.

3. Kenny Irwin

On July 7, 2000, not even two months after the Petty crash at Loudon, Kenny Irwin perished on the same track. Irwin's car flipped on its roof and crashed into the wall of Turn 3 at almost the exact spot where Petty did. He died of internal injuries. The deaths of Petty and Irwin prompted not just Loudon but most other NASCAR tracks to install softwalls through most of the course.

4. Neil Bonnett

A popular driver as well as a TV broadcaster, Bonnett was killed while practicing for the Daytona 500 in February 1994. His wreck took place at the same Turn 4 where Earnhardt would be killed seven years later.

5. Blaise Alexander

Alexander was killed during an ARCA (a NASCAR-sanctioned series of races) race at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Oct. 4, 2001. The crash took place while Alexander was passing Kerry Earnhardt, Dale's son. The car got loose (race talk for wobbly) and slammed head on into the wall. Alexander was just 25.

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