New York, NY., June 1, 2023 – The Sciolytix Sales Hiring Index (SSHI) decreased from 65.6 in May to 64.8 in June 2023. The SSHI measures relative demand for full-time sales talent in the US over the last 30 days through new sales job postings on Zip Recruiter, Indeed, LinkedIn, and Glassdoor.
The decrease of 0.8 points suggests demand for salespeople softened over the past 30 days. The broad-based SSHI fell 1.6 points to 58.7, while the B2B-SSHI increased 3.9 points to 101.3.
B2B Sales Hiring On the Upswing
B2B sales hiring has been incredibly resilient, despite news of several high-profile layoffs. The current B2B-SSHI at 101.3 is 1.3 points lower than when the index started in August 2022.
There are over 117,000 full-time B2B sales job openings in the US on LinkedIn and Glassdoor.
Apple’s Tim Cook commented on May 4 about mass tech layoffs: “I see it as a last resort and therefore, mass layoffs are not something we are talking about at the moment.” he told CNBC. But he did not rule out the possibility of job cuts.
According to Wedbush Securities Analyst Dan Ives “Apple hasn’t hired at the rock-star pace of the 1980s, as we’ve seen from Google, Amazon, Meta and others over the past few years,” explains Ives. “Now, Apple and Cook are in a position to capture market share and hire talent as a shot across the bow to the rest of the tech space.”
“Layoffs are definitely an acknowledgment of bad management,” Jeffrey Pfeifer, a professor of organizational behavior at Stanford Business School, told Colvin. Pfeffer’s argument, writes Colvin, is that “research shows that layoffs generally do not improve company fortunes.” “Quite the opposite: They do not reliably increase a company’s profits or share price, but they reliably reduce the morale, commitment, productivity, and trust of remaining employees.”
According to Dario Priolo, Sciolytix Chief Marketing Officer and creator of the SSHI, “Good salespeople will always be highly sought after. Do not overreact to generic layoff announcements because only a small percentage of those will be salespeople. Businesses that can screen, hire and onboard the best salespeople better and faster gain a clear advantage.”
About Sciolytix
Sciolytix is a software company revolutionizing how organizations hire, onboard, and develop their employees. Our solutions use immersive learning and predictive analytics to align people with performance outcomes. Now you can validate applicants’ skills and minimize the risk of bringing on the wrong talent. Reduce ramp time through personalized learning powered by artificial intelligence. And use virtual simulations to instill best practices that stick.
To learn more, visit www.sciolytix.com.
Author: Dario Priolo
Dario brings over 20 years of experience in the sales enablement and talent development industry. He has led marketing and strategy as CMO for leading companies like the Hay Group, Miller Heiman and Profiles International and has been part of 4 successful exits, including his own start-up.