The nation's economic situation will continue to improve, CEOs polled by executive-networking organization Vistage say - but the pace of improvement should be gradual, at best.
When polled in the middle of September, chief executives across the nation said conditions were looking up. Two-thirds of the respondents to Vistage's survey said their firm's revenue would increase, and only 7 percent expected revenue declines. That was the lowest proportion in four years to anticipate lower revenue.
The improvements in business conditions could lead to an uptick in hiring. Forty-six percent of the 1,845 CEOs Vistage surveyed said their companies would expand their payrolls in the near future, from 39 percent a year ago.
But, the executives cautioned, a return to full health for the economy may be a ways off. And they noted that a number of factors - including higher insurance costs stemming from the healthcare reform bill, uncertainty around the status of the Bush tax cuts and unfavorable credit conditions - may weigh on corporate performance in the coming year.
"No double-dip [recession] is good news, but healthcare, taxes, access to credit and overall economic uncertainty remain obstacles to jumpstarting sustainable growth," Vistage International CEO Rafael Pastor said.
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