The attack on Pearl Harbor in December, 1941, marked the US entry into WWII. During Wartime, there were very compelling job ads created to call our country to action and support the war. The most abundant jobs were related to the armed forces, its war effort, and agriculture.
Women were widely employed and their skills were valued…because female talent was needed while men were away at war. Recruitment agencies most likely benefited most from this need to fill gaps in the workplace and to support the war efforts.1
The birth of the recruitment as an industry thus began in the 1940’s as large numbers of placement agencies and advertising agencies formed to specialize in servicing ‘non-conscripted’ workers.
After WWII, recruitment took a leap forward when “placement officers” from a growing number of agencies, helped returning soldiers and veterans find jobs. This is thought to have led to the term “headhunting” as recruiters switched from blue-collar placements to more white-collar searches.2
1940’s Milestones:
- 1940 – Smith Act3
- 1943 – Magnuson Act (Chinese Exclusion Repeal Act).4
- 1944 – Servicemen’s Readjustment Act (GI Bill).5
- 1946 – Employment Act of 1946.6
- 1946 – Kelly Services founded.7
- 1947 – Walling v. Portland Terminal Co.8
- 1948 – Executive Order 9981.9
- 1948 – American Society for Personnel Administration founded10
- 1948 – Robert Half founded11
- 1948 – Manpower, now ManpowerGroup, founded12
- 1948 – GE sponsored Campus Recruiting Conference13
References