Better offers lure blacks

Higher outside salary offers are the major problem encountered by large corporations in retaining blacks as managers and professionals, according to chief personnel executives at Fortune 500 companies.

Participating in a survey conducted by the international executive search firm of Heidrick and Struggles, 47 percent of the personnel chiefs cited better offers by other organizations as their major retention problem. One-third of the participants reported paying premium salaries to attract blacks, and 6 in 10 said the most significant problem in recruiting blacks for executive positions is the scarcity of candidates with appropriate education and/or experience.