Demand for natural resources and engineering executives will grow in the second-half of the year, according to a new report.

The report, from professional association the Association of Executive Search Consultants (AESC), reveals that the two sectors predicted to see the most growth in the next six months by search consultants across the globe will be natural resources (37%) and manufacturing (29%).

At a regional level, professional services (32%) was also predicted to see growth in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA); while consumer products (24%) and hotels/tourism (29%), were selected to see growth in Asia Pacific. The healthcare sector (35%) was expected to see most growth in the Americas.

Peter Felix, president of the AESC, said: “With the increased demand for oil and gas, prices have risen and investment dollars are flooding into the natural resources sector, but there is an extreme shortage of talent due to lack of foresight and training in the early 80s and the retirement of baby boomers. Engineering is experiencing a very similar issue, and is therefore one of the top functions seeing an extreme demand for talent around the world.”