When the economy of a country starts to expand or collapse in wealth, it is reflected in the labor market with an impact on employment and personnel recruitment processes. The aim of this article is to investigate the rela-tionship between personnel recruitment and job market imbalances in the various developmental conditions of the macroeconomic environment. Research findings show that employers tend to adopt more active, formal, competitive, targeted, and selective search behaviors in the positive cycles of the economy and employment. Conversely, in downturns of the economy and employment, employers tend to be more passive and defensive, relying on informal relationships and, in some cases, institutional intermediaries. Research contributions, managerial implications and limits of this study conclude the article.