Thirty-one percent of employers plan to hire for executive-level positions over the next six months, up from 23 percent who said the same in October, according to a survey released by CareerBuilder and HeadHunter.com.

Twenty-four percent of respondents who plan to hire executives will hire in business development, followed by information technology (23 percent), sales (22 percent), marketing (19 percent) and accounting/finance (19 percent).

Also, many hiring managers reported that they are still lacking diverse leadership at their organizations. Twenty-two percent of companies still do not have female executives, and 41 percent do not have executive-level employees in any of the following demographics: African American, Hispanic, Asian, LGBT or disabled.

“Hiring trends for executive-level management mirror what we’re seeing in the labor market for all workers,” said Brent Rasmussen, president of CareerBuilder North America. “As companies look to expand their sales force, develop new products and improve their tech infrastructure, the need for diverse, experienced leadership grows along with these initiatives.”

The CareerBuilder survey, which was conducted by Harris Interactive from Feb. 9 to March 2, 2012, and polled 2,303 hiring managers and human resource professionals.