Today, Business Roundtable released the results of its first quarter 2012 CEO Economic Outlook Survey, which shows improving expectations for sales, capital spending and employment for the next six months.

Key survey findings from the first quarter of 2012 over the fourth quarter of 2011 include:

• An expected 12 percent increase in company sales;
• An expected 16 percent increase in company capital spending;
• An expected 7 percent increase in company employment; and

BRT CEOs also expect a real U.S. GDP growth of 2.3 percent in 2012.

In addition, the Business Roundtable CEO Economic Outlook Survey Index – a composite index of CEO expectations for the next six months of sales, capital spending and employment – increased notably to 96.9 in the first quarter of 2012, from 77.9 in the fourth quarter of 2011.

“The BRT survey results indicate greater overall economic optimism among member CEOs compared to last quarter,” said Jim McNerney, Chairman of Business Roundtable and Chairman, President and CEO of The Boeing Company. “Several factors, among them oil prices, a sluggish European economy, political uncertainty in the United States, and questions about future growth in Asia, remain as potential obstacles to higher rates of economic growth in the United States.”

Click here to view the results of this and all previous surveys.