The Lintberg Index,  representing a candidate’s chances in the top segment of the labour market, halted at 83 points in the first month of 2014. This shows an 8 point increase compared to December 2013.

The rise in January is mostly caused by a larger number of available € 100k+ positions. Despite a significant rise, the high point of 2013 (93 index points in October) is not yet in sight as the number of available € 100k+ candidates per month is simply too high compared to the number of new € 100k+ positions. A remarkable rise in the demand for commercial IT specialists has occurred in the past month (not evidenced by the graph).

Lintberg Index rises to 83 points

* The Lintberg Index is a monthly analysis of developments in the top 2% of the labour market. The index is a weighted index based on the number of running vacancies, the number of new vacancies, the positions advertising period and the total the number of application on €100K+ jobs in the Netherlands based on the input of the market leader Lintberg. A higher index indicates an improved labour market for professionals in the 100k+ segment.

The Lintberg Index, representing a candidate’s chances in the top segment of the labour market, saw an increase of no less than 19 index points, reaching a yearly high at 93 points. This is the highest point the index has reached since November of last year, when the index also saw it’s annual peak at 93.

The October rise can be largely credited to the significant increase in the number of newly published € 100k+ positions from the second week of the month onwards. The full month of October experienced a 30% rise of new positions when compared to September. The increase by far exceeded the number of applications (+4%) and resulted in the positive motion of the index graph.

As far as November is concerned the prospects are looking good but if the same number of new positions will be achieved, remains to be seen.

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The 2012 annual figures are rolling in and if the financial compensation for Chief Executive Officers is a sign of recovery, it would be clear that the economy is picking up. With an average increase in total direct compensation of +50%, you could say that the top 10 of highest paid CEO’s is doing quite well for itself. According to research by the Wall Street Journal, only two CEO’s saw their direct compensation decline (Les Moonves at CBS and Philippe Dauman at Viacom, both media companies). However, most of the leaders in the top 10 saw a double-digit growth on their bank account.

Breaking down the top 10 in absolute value, Larry Ellison at Oracle takes the top spot with a staggering $94 million in total compensation, followed at respectable distance by Les Moonves ($58 million). Looking at percentual increase, Mark Parket at Nike saw his annual compensation increase by 167% to a value of nearly $34 million.

If one could speak of a ‘loser’ in this list of top earners, it would be Philippe Dauman at Viacom. Although still taking home $33 million, he saw that this was nearly a quarter less than what he had earned last year. Still, little need to feel sorry for him as this would still buy him 2000+ mid-sized family wagons.

The complete top 10, according to the Wall Street Journal:

1. Lawrence J. Ellison at Oracle – $94,612,064 (+24.5%)
2. Leslie Moonves at CBS – $58,843,439 (-15.1%)
3. Robert A. Iger at Walt Disney – $36,302,508 (+19.4%)
4. Mark G. Parker at Nike – $33,904,186 (+167.2%)
5. Philippe P. Dauman at Viacom – $33,126,741 (-22.6%)
6. John J. Donahue at eBay – $29,459,756 (+97.8%)
7. Omar Ishrak at Medtronic – $27,745,085 (n.a.)
8. Rex W. Tillerson at Exxon Mobil – $26,781,875 (+8.7%)
9. Kent J. Thiry at DaVita HealthCare – $26,300,394 (+54.2%)
10. Howard Schultz at Starbucks – $26,289,044 (+65.9%)

In this nine-piece report, Huntedhead will look at global corporations throughout history. The ranking is based on total worth, adjusted for inflation.

The Dutch East India Company in 1637 – $7,400,000,000,000

Established in 1602 in The Netherlands, the Dutch East India Company became the world’s first publicly traded company on the world’s first stock exchange. Originally starting out as a spice trader, it gained reputation for having the largest shipping fleet between Europe and Asia. In later years, the variety of goods shipped extended and the most profitable product turned out to be tulip bulbs. The so-called tulipmania, where investors drove up the price of a single tulip bulb to the price of house, skyrocketed the value of the EIC to tremendous heights, before coming down to a grinding halt as the bubble bursted. The present day equivalent of its 78 million Dutch guilders value amounts to a whopping $7.4 trillion dollars, earning the Dutch East India Company an unequalled #1 spot in our list.

The Dutch East India Company, the world's most valuable company

The World’s Most Valuable Companies throughout History #2 – The Mississippi Company
The World’s Most Valuable Companies throughout History #3 – The South Sea Company
The World’s Most Valuable Companies throughout History #4 – Saudi Aramco
The World’s Most Valuable Companies throughout History #5 – IBM
The World’s Most Valuable Companies throughout History #6 – PetroChina
The World’s Most Valuable Companies throughout History #7 – Microsoft
The World’s Most Valuable Companies throughout History #8 – Apple
The World’s Most Valuable Companies throughout History #9 – ExxonMobil

In this nine-piece report, Huntedhead will look at global corporations throughout history. The ranking is based on total worth, adjusted for inflation.

The Mississippi Company in 1720 – $6,000,000,000,000

The Mississippi Company was established in 1684, to facilitate trade with the ‘New World’. In 1717, it became the ‘Company of the West’ and expanded into the ‘Company of the Indies’ in 1719. As with the #3, the Mississippi Company fell victim to self-inflicted share speculation in 1719. The owner of the company, John Law, exaggerated the wealth of Louisiana through a marketing scheme, leading to a run on company stock. After a year-long increase of wealth, the bubble burst in late 1720, when shareholders tried to convert their shares into hard coins.

The World’s Most Valuable Companies throughout History #3 – The South Sea Company
The World’s Most Valuable Companies throughout History #4 – Saudi Aramco
The World’s Most Valuable Companies throughout History #5 – IBM
The World’s Most Valuable Companies throughout History #6 – PetroChina
The World’s Most Valuable Companies throughout History #7 – Microsoft
The World’s Most Valuable Companies throughout History #8 – Apple
The World’s Most Valuable Companies throughout History #9 – ExxonMobil

In this nine-piece report, Huntedhead will look at global corporations throughout history. The ranking is based on total worth, adjusted for inflation.

The South Sea Company in 1720 – $4,000,000,000,000

Officially named The Governor and Company of the merchants of Great Britain, trading to the South Seas and other parts of America, and for the encouragement of fishing, the South Sea Company was created to reduce the cost of national debt by issuing shares. Through widespread rumors, which came about from within the company, the stock price inflated to surreal levels leading to a value £200 million, $4 trillion in today’s money.

Investors soon realized that the return on investment would not live up to the extreme expectations. After the rise the inevitable fall came along, resulting in many personal bankruptcies for people whom had bought shares on credit.

The self-inflated stock price chart for the South Sea Company (© Wikimedia Commons)

The World’s Most Valuable Companies throughout History #4 – Saudi Aramco
The World’s Most Valuable Companies throughout History #5 – IBM
The World’s Most Valuable Companies throughout History #6 – PetroChina
The World’s Most Valuable Companies throughout History #7 – Microsoft
The World’s Most Valuable Companies throughout History #8 – Apple
The World’s Most Valuable Companies throughout History #9 – ExxonMobil

In this nine-piece report, Huntedhead will look at global corporations throughout history. The ranking is based on total worth, adjusted for inflation.

Saudi Aramco in 2012 – $3,600,000,000,000

Since the Saudi government granted Standard Oil a concession to drill for oil in 1933, the country has seen enormous wealth. Throughout the years that followed, the diluted shares have been bought back by the government, making it a fully state-owned corporation in 1988. Next to the current production of 12 million barrels per day, it is believed that Saudi Aramco is sitting on oil reserves of approx. 260 billion barrels, which makes the figure at the top of the article a careful estimation at most. At a current price of $90 per barrel, the value of the remaining oil alone would be $23.4 trillion.

Saudi Aramco, the fourth largest corporation in history

The World’s Most Valuable Companies throughout History #5 – IBM
The World’s Most Valuable Companies throughout History #6 – PetroChina
The World’s Most Valuable Companies throughout History #7 – Microsoft
The World’s Most Valuable Companies throughout History #8 – Apple
The World’s Most Valuable Companies throughout History #9 – ExxonMobil

In this nine-piece report, Huntedhead will look at global corporations throughout history. The ranking is based on total worth, adjusted for inflation.

PetroChina in 2007 – $1,120,000,000,000

Founded only in 1999 as China’s largest oil producer, the state-owned company went public in 2007. Investor speculation on growth in reserves boosted the hype and made PetroChina the first ever trillion-dollar company. Soon after the IPO, the stock value went down to more realistic levels, as evidenced by the current value of $295 billion.

PetroChina, the sixth largest corporation in history

The World’s Most Valuable Companies throughout History #7 – Microsoft
The World’s Most Valuable Companies throughout History #8 – Apple
The World’s Most Valuable Companies throughout History #9 – ExxonMobil

Recruiting for a key management position in the U.S.? Consider hiring a candidate whose native language isn’t English. While American companies with substantial international operations may place a value on global savoir-faire, there’s another compelling reason to consider a non-native candidate: research shows that we behave more rationally when we think in another language.

Read more about this on Forbes.