Four in 10 headhunters think that senior executive salaries will rise by up to 5% in the next 12-18 months, with 14% predicting salaries will rise by more than 5%, according to research from InterExec.

However, the research also shows just under one-fifth (19%) of headhunters believed that a senior executive could earn 51-80% more in salary if they have spent more than three years working overseas in the Far East.

Kit Scott-Brown, managing director of InterExec, says: “I think the figures reveal a positive outlook in terms of salaries for senior executives. Most industry sectors are cutting back, but here we see that the vast majority of headhunters believe salaries will rise by 5% or, at the very least, stay the same.

“Those senior executives who have had the experience of working in the Far East will, it seems, be able to raise their salary expectations even higher.”