More top talent was sought in China this year by multinationals with a noted shift to high-caliber local prospects, though a slightly weaker sales outlook weighed.

Global executive search and consulting firm Chicago-based Heidrick & Struggles International Inc, said that half of the 119 multinational executives with responsibility over China operations said headcount would likely show an increase by the end of 2015 over the previous year.

The survey of managers released in October, however, noted that the overall level of hiring expectations dropped to 50 percent from 58 percent in 2014, and the difference was accounted for by sales growth prospects.