Executive search consultants are optimistic for the year ahead, according to a new survey by the Association of Executive Search Consultants (AESC).

The 2011 Search Industry Outlook Report reveals that 68% of search consultants are positive and 30% neutral for 2011, denoting a peak in industry confidence since its low point at the end of 2008.

AESC president, Peter Felix, said: “The New Year outlook by our members is most encouraging and confirms the renewed demand for executive search services that we witnessed in 2010.

“Our members are more confident about their pipeline of assignments and although not all markets around the world are recovering at the same pace, the underlying trend is strong. This creates more positive planning support for the expansion of resources that in many cases were severely depleted in 2009.”

The survey also shows that 66% of respondents indicate that their search practices are planning to hire more consultants in 2011 — rising 18% from mid-2010 results — and 44% plan to hire more researchers.

Findings revealed that the industrial, energy/natural resources and financial services sectors are expected to see the most growth in executive hiring in 2011.

Consultants in the Americas were particularly optimistic (over other regions) for financial services, technology/telecoms, energy/natural resources, not-for-profit, private equity/venture capital and real estate/construction.

China, India and Latin America are expected to see the greatest scarcity of talent in the year ahead, while the functional outlook places general managers, CEOs, chief operating officers and board directors in strong demand this year, suggesting an increase in high-level search assignments as reported in the AESC’s third quarter http://www.aesc.org/eweb/Dynamicpage.aspx?webcode=PressRelease&wps_key=2deaac45-064a-496f-8e9c-ababd61e94682010 industry report.

The 2011 Association of Executive Search Consultants (AESC) Member Outlook Survey of December 2010totalled 210 responses from AESC executive search consultants worldwide, including 52% from EMEA, 30% from the Americas and 15% from Asia Pacific.