Tech recruiters in Silicon Valley are the canaries. They sing a lot, dress in bright colors… No, wait. They’re usually the first to get laid off, and often the first hired back when business improves. So now they’re being hit especially hard.
Recruiters Are Sending Out Their Own Résumés.
There are no precise counts of recruiters in Silicon Valley, and no one knows how many are unemployed. But interviews with more than two dozen recruiters suggest that the recession has slammed the profession particularly hard, both here and across the country.
Scores of recruiters have been let go in recent months and new positions are virtually nonexistent. Those that pop up attract as many as 500 applicants. And rates paid to recruiters, many of whom work as contractors, have fallen by about 50 percent.