The four inputs
Every sector-quarter score is derived from four observable signals, each read at the role level and rolled up to the sector line on the matrix.
- Role posting velocity — the rate at which the target role is opened, closed and re-opened across the corridor, quarter over quarter.
- Compensation drift — the delta between the last credible market print and the current mandated band, adjusted for corridor tax and equity treatment.
- Mandate volume — the count of active engaged searches Sercxi and named peer firms are running against the role in the same quarter.
- Tenure signals — median in-seat duration for the role at exit, and the direction that median has moved across the last two quarters.
What separates a 5/9 from a 9/9
A 5/9 — Transitioning means the role still exists in its current shape, but two of the four inputs have moved off baseline. Compensation is drifting, or postings are re-opening, but the mandate structure has not been rewritten.
A 9/9 — Displaced means all four inputs are moving in the same direction and the role has been re-scoped, split, or absorbed inside at least one flagship organisation in the corridor. Searches that were retained under the old title are now written against a new one.
The scale is discrete, not smoothed. A 6/9 is Exposed, not "just above Transitioning" — the boundary is a structural change in the mandate, not a moving average.
Review cadence
Scores are refreshed once per quarter, in line with the publication of the three corridor editions (APAC, EMEA, GCC). Between quarters the matrix does not move; the next reading arrives with the next edition.