Most economists agree that The Great Recession has ended. With the exception of a few industries and geographical locations, nearly the entire nation is rebounding at the end of the first quarter of 2010. Unlike most other previous recessions, however, the recovery period of this downturn seems to be much slower.

Internal Audit departments faced severe cutbacks during the recession. Now the hiring of auditors has started to resume, but not at the rates of the past, and because internal audit is being pressured to produce more value-added results, the bar has been raised for the qualities and skills required for new hires.

This latest Lander International survey was available for audit leaders to add opinions between December 1, 2009 and February 2010. The results are very interesting for a variety of reasons. Audit has learned to be resilient through all the changes of the last decade, and most departments have done an admirable job of weathering the downturn. Now there is a feeling of optimism about the profession and its growth for the next several years.