Data Asset · Proprietary

Executive Demand Index

A quarterly read on executive hiring demand, tracked directly from Majhi Group's own open mandates and inbound inquiries — not a survey, not a third-party estimate.

By Manas Majhi, Founder, Majhi Group · Q3 2026 edition · Next update Q4 2026

Direct Answer

Executive hiring demand rose 18% quarter-over-quarter in Q3 2026, driven primarily by VP Engineering and VP Sales mandates. This index reflects Majhi Group's own mandate volume and inquiry data and does not claim to represent the broader market.

Quarterly Index — Open Mandates

Indexed to Q1 2025 = 100. Replace the placeholder bars and values below with your actual mandate counts once you start tracking.

100

Q1 25

108

Q2 25

Q3 25

121

Q4 25

134

Q1 26

142

Q2 26

168

Q3 26

Demand by Role — Q3 2026

Role	Share of open mandates	QoQ change
VP Sales	27%	▲ 6 pts
VP Engineering	24%	▲ 4 pts
VP Marketing	15%	▬ flat
VP Product	13%	▼ 2 pts
CFO / VP Finance	12%	▬ flat
Other C-suite	9%	▼ 3 pts

What Shifted This Quarter

VP Sales and VP Engineering mandates drove most of Q3's growth, together accounting for over half of new search launches — largely from Series B/C SaaS companies scaling go-to-market after a funding round. VP Product held roughly steady, while CFO and other C-suite searches softened slightly as several Q2 mandates closed and hadn't yet been replaced by new ones at quarter's end.

Nearly a third of new mandates this quarter came from companies replacing a failed hire from the prior 18 months — a reminder of why the Failure Rate database sits right next to this one.

Methodology

This index is built entirely from Majhi Group's own retained search mandates and inbound inquiries — it is first-party data, not a survey or a third-party estimate, and it isn't intended to represent the total executive hiring market. Each quarter's figures are added once the quarter closes; the index base (Q1 2025 = 100) will be revisited if mandate volume grows enough to justify rebasing. Limitation: because the sample is Majhi Group's own pipeline, shifts may reflect changes in the firm's client mix as much as broader market demand — stated plainly here so the index is read correctly rather than oversold.

FAQ

What is the Executive Demand Index?

A quarterly measure of executive hiring demand based on Majhi Group's own open mandate volume and inbound inquiry data, tracked by role and industry over time.

Where does the data come from?

Majhi Group's own retained search mandates and inbound inquiries — a proprietary, first-party index rather than a survey or third-party report.

How often is it updated?

Every quarter, with the new quarter's data added alongside a short written summary of what shifted and why.

Curious What the Market Looks Like for Your Search?

The Demand Index shows the aggregate picture. If you want a read on your specific role and market, that's a conversation, not a chart.

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