The sixth annual “Decision Dynamics” study was based on an online survey of 470 global executives.
By comparison, last year's study found that only 20% of executives expected to see improvement in global economic conditions over the following six months.
This year's study also found that about 42% of executives expect to see improvement in industry conditions over the next six months, compared with about 25% in last year's study.
However, while senior executives are optimistic about improving economic conditions, they are cutting more jobs this year. The study found that 32% plan to cut jobs this year, while only 25% said they plan to increase staffing.