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Best hiring outlook since 2006, CEO survey finds

January 07, 2015

Net hiring plans were more favorable in the fourth quarter than any other time since the start of 2006, according to the Vistage CEO confidence index survey released today. Sixty-two percent of respondents plan to expand their workforce in the year ahead, up from 56 percent in the fourth quarter of 2013 and the highest since the first quarter of 2006.

Only 5 percent of the CEOs surveyed planned to reduce hiring while 33 percent expected hiring to remain about the same.

In hiring, 40 percent of respondents cited locating talent and 32 percent cited the lack of skills among applicants as the most significant issues their business faces. The high demand for skilled labor, specifically finding, hiring and training staff, was mentioned about three times as frequently as financial issues or economic uncertainty, further highlighting the existence of a talent crunch, according to the report.

More than 1,400 small- to mid-sized business US CEOs were surveyed for the report. The survey was conducted between Dec. 8 and Dec. 17, 2014.