Bloomberg (06/06/12) Michelle Jamrisko

Even as confidence in the U.S. economy wanes, companies in the U.S. intend to increase hiring, according to a quarterly survey of chief financial officers by Duke University and CFO Magazine. The index of executives’ confidence declined from 59 in the first quarter to 56 in the second quarter. However, the executives said they plan to boost hiring by 2.5% over the next year, up from 2.1% in the previous survey. “CFOs indicate a level of hiring that would reduce the national unemployment rate to near 7% within a year, if all else remains constant,” says Kate O’Sullivan, CFO Magazine’s editorial director. “More than one out of four U.S. CFOs say their employees are maxed out, so the planned increase in payrolls is long overdue.”