CEO confidence improved slightly in the third quarter of 2026, with more than half of CEOs planning annual raises of 3% to 3.9%, according to an Aug. 6 report from The Conference Board.
Here are seven things to know:
1. The Conference Board’s Measure of CEO Confidence, produced with The Business Council, rose to 52 in the third quarter, up from 47 in the second quarter but still below the first quarter’s reading of 59. A score above 50 means more CEOs gave positive responses than negative ones.
The survey included 136 CEOs from Fortune 500 companies, including healthcare organizations, fielded July 13-27. The Conference Board said it could not break out results by industry to protect respondent confidentiality.
2. CEOs reported better economic conditions than in the prior quarter: 23% said conditions were better than six months earlier, up from 15% in the second quarter, while 26% said conditions had worsened, down from 47%.
3. Cyber remained CEOs’ top perceived business risk, though AI and emerging technology moved past geopolitical tension to become the second-highest concern this quarter.
4. On staffing, 34% of CEOs said they plan to expand their workforce, up from 28% in the second quarter. Twenty-eight percent said they expect to cut staff, down from 31%, and 37% expect no change.
5. Most CEOs, 61%, said hiring qualified workers would be little or no problem over the next year. Thirteen percent expect no hiring issues at all, and 48% expect only isolated difficulties.
6. A majority of CEOs, 58%, said they are planning annual wage increases in the 3% to 3.9% range.
7. Six in 10 CEOs said they have no plans to change capital spending levels, though the share planning to increase spending fell to 31% from 37% in the second quarter.
The findings track with what health system leaders have told Becker’s recently. CEOs described re-sequencing rather than shelving capital projects amid financial pressure — Renton, Wash.-based Providence CEO Erik Wexler said the system has become “much more focused and disciplined on the places where we will invest,” while Dover, Del.-based Bayhealth CEO Terry Murphy said major projects now carry built-in “off ramps to use if fiscal conditions deteriorate more than expected.”
That caution mirrors the survey’s capital spending figures, where the share of CEOs planning to increase spending eased even as most held steady rather than cut. Brentwood, Tenn.-based Ardent Health’s new CEO, Dave Caspers, struck a similar tone on an Aug. 5 earnings call, saying the for-profit system will “continue to manage through the healthcare head and tailwinds” while staying “laser focused” on the levers it can control, including capital allocation.
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