'Significant' uptick in growth optimism among Irish CEOs 

New survey from PwC found recent optimism to be significantly higher than its all-time low in 2020, when just 16% of CEOs expected Ireland's economy to grow

Globally, 58% of CEOs said they expect the global economy to improve in the year ahead, up from 38% last year.

Almost three-quarters of Irish CEOs expect Ireland’s economic growth to improve over the next 12 months, PwC has found, up significantly from just 50% last year.

Publishing its 2025 Irish CEO survey on Wednesday, the professional services firm found recent optimism to be significantly higher than its all-time low in 2020, when just 16% of CEOs expected Ireland's economy to grow. 

At the same time, 62% of Irish business leaders believe global economic growth will improve, up from 35% last year. Meanwhile, an overwhelming majority are confident about their company’s revenue prospects for the year ahead, up from 86% last year.

Globally, 58% of CEOs said they expect the global economy to improve in the year ahead, up from 38% last year.

The survey also found that 45% of Irish CEOs expect headcount to increase by 5% or more in the next 12 months. While down from 53% last year, PwC noted that this is nearly four times the proportion who expect headcount decreases.

While Irish CEOs are much more optimistic about economic growth than they were a year ago, they are conscious of the risks, the firm warned. 

"There are high levels of concern about a number of threats as the global landscape is shifting at an unprecedented rate," the survey said. 

"Macro-economic volatility is the top risk, followed by lower availability of workers with key skills. Other top risks include inflation, geopolitical conflict, cyber threats and technology disruption". 

PwC also reported that 62% of Irish business leaders are concerned about social inequality, up from 47% a year ago.

"Shifts in geopolitics, emerging technologies and climate transition are reshaping markets locally and globally," said Enda McDonagh, Managing Partner at PwC Ireland. 

“Despite operating in an uncertain environment, Irish CEOs are more optimistic than their global counterparts and than they were a year ago. This optimism is also reflected in strong revenue growth expectations for their own businesses, indicating we may expect continued capital investment.

“The trends in this year’s report paint a complex picture, and in the months since the survey was conducted, we have seen further shifts in the business environment."

The survey also suggests an expected surge in AI-related innovation activity but with mixed views on tangible benefits to date. 

On average, 89% of Irish CEOs predict that AI and GenAI will be systematically integrated into a range of key business areas in their organisation over the next three years.

Meanwhile, half of Irish CEOs expect GenAI will boost profitability in the next 12 months, compared to just 24% who reported achieving increased profitability in the last year.

The survey also found that 76% of Irish CEOs are concerned about climate change risks, which was down from 96% in 2022.

"As the climate transition continues to impact businesses, some pay off in investment is emerging," PwC said, with nearly a third of survey participants reporting that climate change investments in their company resulted in increased revenues in the last five years, with just 3% saying it had reduced revenues.