There are further positive signs of recovery for the senior executive search industry around the world, according to the latest data from the Association of Executive Search Consultants (AESC).

The first quarter of this year showed annual growth of 30.2% in new executive search mandates and a 22% rise in revenues. All industry sectors included in the survey enjoyed annual and quarterly increases in new search activity.

The most significant annual growth was seen in the financial (+39.2%) and technology (+37.3%) sectors. This was followed by notable yearly growth in the life sciences/healthcare (+26.4%), consumer (+25%) and industrial (+20.1%) sectors.

AESC president Peter Felix said: “These global search industry statistics confirm that senior executive recruitment is continuing its pullback from the rigor mortis of 12 months ago.

“While momentum has been slow in coming, as seen for the global economy as a whole, growth is now not only tangible but the rate of growth is increasing.”

The Asia Pacific region experienced a significant year-on-year rise in new search mandates in January to March this year (+48.3%), followed by North America (+29%) and then Europe (+26%).