The health care industry shed 16 chief executives in March, the most of any U.S. sector, a survey shows.
Overall, the number of CEO changes remained virtually unchanged in March, as 99 CEOs announced their departures during the month, up slightly from 92 in February, according to global outplacement consultancy Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc.
CEO turnover through the first quarter is down 15 percent from 2010, according to the latest report on CEO departures, Challenger Gray said.
The 99 CEO changes recorded in March were 17 percent lower than a year ago, when 119 CEOs left their post. Â This marks the second consecutive month that CEO changes were lower than the corresponding month a year earlier.
Healthcare CEO turnover was followed by the government/nonprofit sector’s 12 CEO departures. The two industries lead all industries for the year with 38 CEO departures each. The financial sector had 34 CEO changes so far this year, including 11 in March.
The technology sector, which is one of the areas of the economy that has managed to enjoy significant growth during the recovery, has seen little change in CEO turnover resulting from its fortunes.Â
Computer firms, for example, have announced 21 CEO changes so far this year, which is only a slight decline from the 29 changes in the same quarter a year ago. Meanwhile, first-quarter CEO changes in telecommunications were unchanged from a year ago at seven and CEO changes among electronics firms fell by one.
