Fewer executives expect to increase headcount: survey 

A survey released Wednesday found that fewer business executives are planning to increase their headcount over the next six months.  

The CEO Economic Outlook Index, conducted by Business Roundtable, found that just 33 percent of CEO respondents said they planned to increase their workforce in the second quarter of 2023. This is a significant drop from the first quarter report, in which 41 percent of CEOs said they planned to hire more in the next six months.

The outlook found that CEOs reported a continued downward trend in plans for hiring, a slight increase in capital spending and no change in sales expectations. The overall index also dropped by three points from last quarter and is now resting at 76, which is below the historic average of 84.

About 35 percent of respondents said they will increase their capital spending in the next six months, which is an increase of 1 percent from last quarter. Among respondents, 67 percent said they expect their sales to increase over the next six months.

Around 82 percent of CEOs also said they agreed that “reforming U.S. permitting processes for energy infrastructure projects is necessary to improve American energy security and accelerate the clean energy transition.”

“Business Roundtable members have long advocated for modernizing the permitting system including most recently supporting the inclusion of reforms in the bipartisan debt ceiling deal,” Business Roundtable CEO Joshua Bolten said in a statement. “We look forward to working with Congress to build on this important step forward with additional reforms and other policy wins for the U.S. economy.”

The survey included responses from 143 CEOs between May 17 and June 2.