Know-How Exchange : Research/Metrics

It happens but I have not seen it often. In fact, my latest experience has been the opposite: a few of my friends switched from the client side to the market research / consultancy side.

In any interaction between services firms and clients there is scope for migration from one side to the other.

Does it matter how often it happens? If you want it to happen, maybe you should just raise the subject with the people on the other side.

Take care though that the engagement agreement between the service provider and the client does not preclude such behaviour - or perhaps even sets a price on the recruitment in advance.

My opinion is that it would be bad etiquette for a services firm to recruit from its clients. That would need to be handled terribly carefully. For the client to recruit from the service provider, however, is a somewhat different concept, and does not immediately raise any particular ethical issues.

In my experience, it happens rarely. It's not impossible, but it's very unlikely. I can't recall a single case in my own experience (with market researchers), but I do know one market research professional who went to the client side and then was later recruited and hired by a former client.