While older executives still depend heavily on networking to find a job, most of those younger than 40 rely more on headhunters, the Internet and advertisements, according to a global survey by human resources consultant Drake Beam Morin.

Even in Asia, where job-hunters of all ages have long relied on professional and social ties to find work, only 43% of the 1,140 executives surveyed landed new jobs because of networking. Close to 21% of executives looked for work through a headhunter; 35% used a combination of the Internet and advertisements to secure a new job, the survey indicated.

Human resources consultant Drake Beam Morin surveyed more than 15,000 executives in 21 countries, all of whom were laid off in the past year by their employers. Companies often hire DBM to counsel laid-off employees. The firm runs networking workshops, practice interviews and resume seminars to help them. Many of the laid-off executives haven't sought employment in a decade, and they need to reacquire the skills needed for job hunting before re-entering the job market.

"A person at 30 will not have the kind of network of a person who is 45," says Bob Critchley, president of Drake Beam Morin's international division. "We try to encourage younger workers to expand their networks, to use their parents and relatives, look at previous employers and clients, to think much wider."

According to research by DBM, an executive, on average, takes between four to six months to find a new job. In the past year, close to 90% of DBM's clients came from companies that were downsizing, merging or reorganizing.

Mature workers, those 55 years or older, were the biggest victims of downsizing, according to DBM's survey. Because these workers often earn more than younger managers, companies opted to reduce payroll by cutting fewer but more senior managers, said Mr. Critchley, who added that companies often don't realize until later that they are losing valuable knowledge when mature workers are dismissed.

Workers younger than 55 years old tended to be dismissed because of a merger or acquisition.

Since laid-off younger workers tended to have financial obligations such as mortgages, car loans and tuition for their children's schools, they looked for full-time employment more aggressively.

Older managers, on the other hand, had more financial flexibility, choosing instead to take on part-time consulting or free-lance jobs. Some executives in their 40s and 50s - about 16% of them - opted for self-employment. They also took twice as long to identify and secure new jobs than their younger counterparts, and had to prepare for the 50% chance of seeing a pay cut in their new posts.

Within the pool of executives who did return to the full-time work force, almost half of them looked outside their old industries for job opportunities. Often, DBM consultants say, their clients were in the wrong industry to start with. "People are sometimes forced to re-assess," Mr. Critchley said. "They have to realize that their skills are transferable and they can find something that fits them in a different industry."