BlueSteps

The 2016 BlueSteps Job Outlook Report, just released by Association of Executive Search and Leadership Consultants, shows that global executive optimism has decreased 10.9 percentage points since 2014. Forty-one percent of respondents expect the number of senior management-level positions to remain sluggish as the number of professionals seeking a new opportunity continues to increase, reaching its highest point since 2010 - 90.2 percent.

The 2014 AESC BlueSteps Asia-Pacific Executive Perceptions Survey looked at the ‘push’ and ‘pull’ factors influencing relocation for 11 Asia-Pacific markets, including China. More than 850 senior executives were surveyed globally. A quarter of those surveyed currently hold CEO roles, with the remainder mainly holding other C-suite roles.

This report discovered that while modern senior-level executives are working more hours and in more locations now than in the past, over half (52%) are satisfied or very satisfied with their work-life balance. Global executives work an average of 58.5 hours per week, with 39% working over 60 hours per week. In comparison, four years ago, 55% of senior-level executives did not believe their current work-life balance was satisfactory.

This report highlights numerous changes in the business environment that have not only impacted the board of directors, but have also made it more difficult for search committees to build a board with the right skills. Now, more than ever, board directors are concerned with the impact of external economic factors and regulatory compliance on their organization, as those factors ranked second and third respectively behind shareholder interests as board directors’ top business concerns.

The top career management concern for 81% of CEOs worldwide was finding new opportunities. Concurrently, the majority of CEOs are focused on finding and retaining top talent to grow their current organization, with the majority (53.3%) stating that this is their top business-related concern.