CEOs in Asia Pacific confident of growth

Two years after the financial meltdown, 54 percent of Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) in the Asia Pacific are very confident of growth in the next 12 months, says PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC)in its 14th Annual Global CEO survey.

Renewed confidence was spread across all countries within the region, with CEOs in India (88 percent), China and Hong Kong (72 percent) and Asean (60 percent), particularly upbeat about near term growth.

Japanese CEOs were the least confident (25 percent).

Meanwhile, Asia continues to be firmly on the radar for CEOs globally, as almost 90 percent expect their operations to grow in the region in the next year, with China and India considered key markets for future growth.

As emerging economies are growing at rates faster than the developed countries, about 62 percent of Asia Pacific CEOs expect to add jobs in the next 12 months, up from 49 percent in the last survey.

"From the survey, it is clear that talent is now top of the agenda for the Asia Pacific this year.

"In high growth markets such as China and India, having enough talent and the right type is crucial. As an emerging market, Malaysia is no different," Chin Kwai Fatt,Managing Director of PwC Malaysia said.

The survey was conducted in 69 countries in the last quarter of 2010 with 1,201 interviews conducted.