CEOs are optimistic about the year ahead, despite layoffs

Published Updated 2 Min Read

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Four months into 2023, and employers and employees have already faced waves of layoffs, hiked interest rates and further economic uncertainty — but it seems business leaders haven’t lost hope just yet.

Hiring software company Greenhouse surveyed 300 CEOs on their outlook for 2023, and found that 84% are optimistic about their economic success for the latter of the year, with a majority of leaders actually looking forward to seeing their company grow despite recent setbacks. This may come as a surprise, given the sweeping layoffs by big-name companies over the last few months, but Greenhouse’s survey underlines a vital theme that has persisted since the start of the pandemic: talent is key.

Nearly 70% of CEOs plan to hire this year, while only 10% anticipate decreasing their workforce, according to Greenhouse. Unlike the layoffs workers saw at the start of the pandemic, it seems fewer employers are eager to downsize at the first sign of economic downturn. Chait points out that employers who made big layoffs in 2020 found themselves returning to an incredibly competitive labor market and likely had a hard time attracting and retaining talent.

Read more: 4 ways employers can attract and support neurodiverse talent

Deanna Cuadra
Senior Reporter

Deanna Cuadra is a senior reporter at Employee Benefit News. Her work covers healthcare, U.S. policy and reform, challenges faced by women and parents in the workplace and innovation in work culture … Read full bio


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