The survey also found the number of companies focused on investment in growth-oriented activities, such as hiring, will increase to 37% in the next 12 months from 24% today.

However, a shortage of high quality skills could be a concern, according to the survey. Only 15% of U.S. companies said the overall skill level of their workforces was industry-leading.

The survey included 117 senior executives at the U.S. firms with revenue of more than $250 million.