(From hrzone.co.uk) -- According to a survey among 1,201 chief executives in 69 countries undertaken by management consultancy PricewaterhouseCoopers, emerging Asia-Pacific markets are being viewed by bosses in Western Europe as key to generating revenue growth in 2011, although the US is still the second most popular growth market behind China.

Higher levels of confidence in the current economic climate also mean that 51% of respondents expect to hire again over the next 12 months, up from 39% last year. Only 16% anticipate cutting jobs, on the other hand, down from 25% in 2010. The most bullish sectors in this regard were chemicals, automotive and manufacturing.

But two thirds of chief executives believed that the major challenge they faced over the next three years was the limited supply of candidates with the right skills, particularly in high growth markets such as China, India and some parts of Latin America.

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