Abnormal Headhunter Activity?

It is the time of the year when headhunter activity increases, but I have seen more this year than in years past. The number of calls looking to fill positions rather than recruit candidates has picked up (i.e. demand first and supply second, which is very different from supply first, demand second).

Is anyone else seeing this? Could be 1) headhunters simply trying to gauge sentiment at banks (i.e. not looking to place you, but seeing if you are going to be joining the labor supply); 2) an exodus of unhappy employees already leaving other banks (i.e. labor demand is real); or 3) playing the annual musical chairs game (i.e. trying to trade labor between banks for fees).

Thoughts? Definitely more "are you looking?" calls than "do you know of openings?" calls.

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