While overall leadership hiring was flat year-over-year in Q2, CEO hiring continues to be in demand, ending the quarter up 17% over Q2 2023.

Since a low-point in Q3 2022, demand for CEOs has increased every quarter except one (Q4 2023) and it remains(along with CRO hiring) the most persistent growth story of leadership hiring’s recovery.

In fact, within C-level hiring exclusively, only CEO and CRO roles have grown YoY. Every other function combined is down 14% over the same time period, suggesting the bar remains high for when executive search firms are being tapped to run.