The Business Roundtable says 52 percent of its members plan to step up hiring.
That's the largest proportion for the group since it began surveying its members nine years ago.
The trade group represents CEOs from the nation's 200 largest companies.
More than 60 percent also plan to spend more on long-lasting manufactured goods, such as computers and machinery.
Still, the executives expect the overall economy to grow only a modest 2.9 percent this year.
That's up from their forecast three months ago of 2.5 percent.
The survey was conducted in early March, before the crisis in Japan.
