The US unemployment rate climbed above 8% in February, and there are headlines about job cutbacks on what seems like a daily basis. Some of those layoffs have occurred in commercial real estate and related industries such as construction. Will there be more where those came from? Yes, according to 86% of respondents to last week's poll, while 14% believe that the downsizing has run its course. To gauge how the perceptions square with the reality as seen by recruiters, GlobeSt.com spoke with Richard Bachrach and Alexandra Roth, president and manager of client services, respectively, at the Bachrach Group.

Roth: "A lot of people are saying that due to the economy and the negative news, they believe the hiring situation is poorer. But we still have several jobs available here, and a lot of my best people are still working. You may be having cutbacks, but those may be people that were sitting around and not really pulling their weight. In this economy, that's not going to work.

"People say to me, 'You must be getting flooded with resumes.' Sure, I'm seeing resumes, but they're not necessarily from my best candidates. That's exciting to me."

Bachrach: "There are very few companies in commercial real estate right now where I can't call them and tell them I have a good person for them. They'll listen. It's like dessert: there's always room for dessert after a good meal."

Roth: : "We have a large network of candidates, and we find that because of these times, we're doubling our network because if our clients aren't hiring at the moment, they will be within a few months. At the same time, we're finding other clients out there. We're making new relationships, and we're getting job orders. Whether it's owner/managers, developers or construction firms, we are busy."

Bachrach: "We've been in the business for 35 years, we've seen good times and bad times and real estate today is good. Not great, but good. There are plenty of jobs out there and we're filling them."

Instant Insights /

The Bachrach Group's Bachrach and Roth

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