Real Estate Industry in Need of Workers A employment outlook survey by Management Recruiters International is showing there is a need for more workers at just about every level of real estate right now, and that most companies say that recruiting is one of their priorities. According to MRI's Karen Bloomfield, of the executives with responsibility for hiring in the real estate industry, 48.1 percent said they plan to increase their staffs in the second half of 2000, up by 4.5 points from 43.6 percent for the first half of 2000. Another 51.9 percent plan to maintain current staff sizes, down by 2 points, and none plan to decrease staffing, down by 2.5 percent. "The year 2000 continues to be one of the strongest economies in U.S. history and one of the most competitive job markets we've ever seen," said Allen Salikof, head of MRI. "The real estate industry is directly benefiting from this financial boom. As companies and individuals have an increased amount of money to spend on real estate, there is a need for more real estate professionals and executives to service these customers." Real estate's personnel needs appeared to be running somewhat ahead of the national norm, said Bloomfield. Across all industries, 53.2 percent of the 3,615 executives polled projected new hires for the second half of 2000. Antoher 35.6 percent plan to maintain their current staff sizes and 11.2 percent said the planned to decrease their staffing. Ironically, the quest for more real estate industry workers seems to be coming at a time when many corporations say they are unable to keep the staffing they have. Some industry experts note that nationwide the number of licenses is generally declining and that fall is blamed on changes brought about by technology and education requirements. "The cost of entry into real estate has never been higher," said one insider. "The cost of education - and the amount of education required - are both going up. The cost of licensing is going up. On top of that, you have to join the local (Realtor) board and join the MLS. "You need to have a laptop or a palmtop computer. You need a cell phone and pager. And you need most of this stuff on the day you get into business - but you still may not make your first commission for six months. "To get into real estate today, you need backing. A husband or a wife who is willing to bankroll you until you get up and running." And the booming economy is making the industry less attractive. "You can make a lot of money in real estate, sure. But it will be couple of years," said the insider. "But most people don't want to wait, especially when they see other jobs available where you can start making pretty good money right away." | 
