Continued economic growth in Asia, particularly for...

Continued economic growth in Asia, particularly for the newly industrialized countries of South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore, is expected to fuel demand for middle- and senior-level executives in many Pacific basin nations, according to Korn/Ferry International, a Century City executive search firm.

“The increased economic force of companies in Asia/Pacific propelled executive recruiting in the region in 1987 to greater levels than ever before, and prospects for 1988 look excellent,” said Morgan H. Harris Jr., managing director of Korn/Ferry’s Pacific Rim practice.

The hiring is primarily directed at local executives. In Japan, for example, job changing is becoming more acceptable as the practice of lifetime employment weakens under domestic and world market pressures. “U.S. firms with subsidiaries in Japan should have less difficulty recruiting managers in the future,” he said.

Executive demand also is rising in Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia.