US CEOs rank economic uncertainty as top threat in 2026: Conference Board survey
Piper Sandler’s chief economist, Nancy Lazar, discusses the economic landscape of 2026, the importance of patience and more on Making Money.
The biggest concern you face CEOs of US companies As 2026 begins, economic uncertainty worries American business leaders more than their global counterparts, according to a new report.
The Conference Board released a survey of more than 1,700 executives, including more than 750 CEOs, from North America, Europe and Asia, which showed differences in the main concerns that concern CEOs of US firms versus those around the world.
Uncertainty was at the fore economic concerns among US CEOs in 2026, with 43% of respondents placing it as a high threat, followed by 35% expressing the risk of recession or recession.
Among CEOs around the world, recession or recession was the biggest threat to 2026 for 36% of respondents, while uncertainty ranked second with 29% naming it as the top economic threat.
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The Conference Board released a survey of more than 1,700 executives, including more than 750 CEOs, from North America, Europe and Asia. (Stock)
“As of 2026, CEOs are navigating changing pressures on profitability and growth. At the same time, these forces are spurring innovation, as most CEOs around the world focus on revitalizing their business models,” said Dana M. Peterson, economist at The Conference Board.
The survey also asked CEOs about their views on employees, which showed that although labor market decline, American workers still use their bargaining power in the hiring process.
More than one quarter, 27%, of US CEOs named “expectations of high compensation” as the biggest challenge in hiring – a figure higher than Asia (19%) and Europe (15%).
The top priority among US CEOs for increasing the profitability of their businesses was making business model changes, noted by 60% of CEOs.
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Measuring the ROI of AI investments is top of mind for CEOs in 2026. (iStock / Stock)
CEOs focus on it artificial intelligence (AI) in 2026 cited as trying to measure return on investment (ROI), 46% said they want to improve data quality and quantity to measure their ROI. Measuring ROI is also a top AI priority among global CEOs, although the share is lower at 33%.
US CEOs are also optimistic about the impact of AI on their companies in 2026, with 38% saying AI will have a negative impact on their companies this year due to social, demographic and technological shifts.
That pessimism is shared by global CEOs, with 30% expecting a more negative impact on their firms than climate events (17%) and political polarization (26%).
AI was also a top investment priority cited by 39% of CEOs, and its integration was a top supply chain priority for US CEOs.
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Economic uncertainty was the top concern for American CEOs in 2026. (Qian Weizhong/VCG via Getty Images)
While the survey found that CEOs everywhere named their home region as the most important factor for expansion, the most cited region was the US and Canada, where 53% of respondents said it would be the most important factor for their expansion.
The top geopolitical threat cited by CEOs was cyber attackswhich 54% of US CEOs and 47% of global CEOs ranked as their top concern in that space.
Close behind the cyberattacks were the geopolitical threats of uncertainty and conflicts.
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Although the war was not a major concern among US CEOs, their counterparts around the world were more concerned, with CEOs in Japan ranking the war in the Asia-Pacific region first, European CEOs ranking the war in Europe third, and CEOs from other parts of Asia ranking the war in the Middle East third.
