In a major new study released by KPMG International, which tracks insights on the coming three years, chief executives of global businesses said they are confident about the ability of their companies to grow over the next three years and are expressing confidence about the prospects for the global economy. 

According to the 2015 KPMG CEO Outlook Study of 1,278 CEOs, 69 percent of CEOs in Europe, 66 percent in Asia Pacific and 52 percent in the US are more confident than they were last year about growth and the global economy in the next three years. 

In assessing their own company's growth prospects, 70 percent of European CEOs, 68 percent of Asia Pacific CEOs and 19 percent of US CEOs indicated they are more confident than a year ago. Most importantly, CEOs globally are set to hire, with 78 percent of respondents indicating they are expecting to be in hiring mode through mid-2018. 

"The overall message we've gotten from CEOs around the globe, is that they are positive about their prospects over the next three years, and importantly that they are looking to hire more people," said John Veihmeyer, Global Chairman of KPMG International.  "There is a more positive change in confidence versus the prior year, in Europe and Asia compared to the US, which is in part reflective of the US being in a more advanced stage of the economic recovery."

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