Hiring seems to be on the rise–at least in companies that have "paused" while the economy reset. That's especially true in states that have heavy concentrations in high-tech (although California has their own set of unique issues).

But the overall process of hiring has changed. Companies are not so quick to pad their infrastructures with full-time employees. Because most companies had to learn to do more with less during the economic downturn, many have continued to consolidate their full-time headcount and keep their executive teams small and allocating responsibilities more efficiently. They're also hiring short-term executive contractors that can hit the ground running to solve problems–and they also avoid lengthy interview cycles, costly full-time salaries and benefits, and being stuck with an unproductive mis-hire.

I believe this trend is here to stay.

It's true that there are still companies that are taking a "wait and see" attitude about the economy, and may return to previous levels of hiring in the future, but most entities that manufacture products are constantly looking to cut costs and be more efficient.

Hiring executives and managers for short-term projects or for staff augmentation (where they know they can get rid of dead weight at a moment's notice) is the current trend for growth in general.

Strong product managers and product marketers that can work on contract are also in high demand. There's a big difference between these two skill sets, and many companies have hired for one and gotten the other. As a full-time employee, their options are more limited than with contractors that can more easily be replaced.

At an executive level, there doesn't seem to be one specific expertise that is in higher demand. Companies are looking to fill a gap, and that's everything from interim CEOs, CMOs, COOs, CFOs and so on. In my world (software) it's the traditional senior engineer or anyone that has dealt with network security that are high on the demand list.

The opportunities for growth tend to be in contracting needed expertise, and that presents an excellent opportunity for entrepreneurs and service companies like LGE Execs that can come in and fill these gaps in the short term.