Forty-three percent of U.S. employers continuously recruit for hard-to-find skills, even if a position is not available, according to a new survey by CareerBuilder.  Of these employers, 72 percent reported that such recruiting efforts have reduced their time-to-hire, and 41 percent say it has shaved off at least three weeks on average.  

In addition, 41 percent of companies that engage in continuous recruiting reported lowered cost-per-hire, with 22 percent citing a savings of $1,000 or more per hire.  

The survey was conducted from Aug. 16, 2011, to Sept. 8, 2011, and included more than 2,600 hiring managers nationwide.