Releasing the results of the 2012 Focus on Latin America study, BlueSteps.com, the executive career management service of the Association of Executive Search Consultants (AESC), announced that, of those executives currently working in Latin America, who have also worked in other regions, 52% find advancement opportunities in Latin America to be better compared to advancement in other regions. Only 24% rated advancement in the region as less favorable.

While executives in the region viewed advancement opportunities as positive, work-life integration did not receive high marks for the region, with half (50%) of executives working in Latin America reporting work-life balance to be unfavorable compared to other regions, while 15% reported no distinct difference.

The study also includes interviews with executive search consultants from AESC member search firms based in Latin America, which revealed industry and employment trends unique to the region. “Construction is booming mainly in Rio de Janeiro, which is being driven by the World Cup and the Olympics being held in Brazil,” commented Jeffrey Abrahams, founder and managing partner at Abrahams Executive Search.

“The average GDP growth in Colombia in the last decade has been significantly above the world’s average,” said Ana Cristina Botero, managing director at Aristos-Stanton Chase based in Bogotá. “In Mexico, the GNP growth for this year is expected to be between 3.5% and 4.0%,” added Xavier de Zamacona, founder and managing director at DeZaSearch in Mexico City.
 
AESC managing director for the Americas, Brian J. Glade, commented that “Our member firms’ experience in these markets bear out what we are seeing regionally: that Central and South America are high growth areas currently, with much opportunity for quality retained executive search firms.”