Executives in the Asia-Pacific region are earning the highest base salaries in the world, driven partly by employers in China sweetening pay packages to retain talent amid a severe management shortage, a survey has found.

The base salary for senior executives in the region during the year ended Sept 30 was $243,642, according to the recently released results.

The survey of 778 executives from around the world was carried out by the Association of Executive Search Consultants, an executive-consultant industry group.