If you’ve been thinking about changing jobs in the retail real estate industry, it may be time to dust off that resume.
During the depths of the recession, many retail real estate firms downsized, with particularly heavy tolls on project management, development and construction departments. Just about the only professionals that were in demand were distress specialists.
Today, however, many commercial real estate firms are hiring again. Tepid improvement began in 2010 and real estate recruiting specialists say that the number of openings is up slightly in 2011.
With retail real estate market fundamentals improving, many firms are evaluating existing staff levels to see where it makes sense to increase head count, says Jennifer Millman, president of Millman Recruiting Services LLC, a Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.-based recruiting firm specializing in commercial and retail real estate. “There has definitely been a big surge in hiring in 2011,” she notes.