Countries in Central and Eastern Europe are seeing less negativity compared to Western Europe and the US, according to executive recruiters working in the region.

In fact, there are actually growth areas in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) and healthcare & pharmaceutical sectors, which is obviously positive news for recruitment.

Mark Hamill, regional director Central & Eastern Europe at executive search and HR consultancy SpenglerFox, explains: “The consumer has yet to be touched by recession. There’s been little large-scale redundancies in the region.” Clients such as Red Bull and Nike, for example, have seen little downturn in their products. SpenglerFox is looking to increase its consultant headcount in Romania and Poland.

Hamill believes the region as a whole is still experiencing growth, “apart from Turkey and Russia, which are more nervous than other countries in the region”.

Tremayne Elson, managing director of executive recruiter Antal Russia, disagrees. “Even though there’s no part of the world that has escaped the downturn, in Russia the main issue is with the availability of credit. Russia’s still got an enviable GDP [estimated 2.4% growth in 2009]. Apart from the financial services sector, the only industries that have been hit are those that rely on credit, such as construction and parts of the retail sector.”

In fact, the situation is a lot more positive in Russia, Elson believes. “Since October/November, companies have been watching and waiting. In December they’ve suddenly decided all those placements they put on hold are now urgent and they want them now before the holiday season [in Russia, usually the first two weeks in January].”

And Antal Russia, like SpenglerFox, is looking to increase consultant numbers from 80 to up to 250, once the global situation has stabilised. “This is not a recession, it’s just difficult market conditions,” says Elson. Although some recruiters in Moscow have shut shop, Antal Russia will be moving into new Moscow offices next year; Elson has just returned from taking the top billers to Dubai; and the company has just come back from two-and-a-half days at the Russian equivalent to Center Parcs as a Christmas party for its staff.