More than half of companies hope to add employees in the next year, but many of the CPA decision-makers at those organizations remain pessimistic about the U.S. economy. Those are a few of the key takeaways from the quarterly Business and Industry Economic Outlook Survey, which was released Thursday.

Inflation is a top concern chosen by many of the respondents. Ken Witt, CPA, CGMA, associate technical director for Management Accounting Research and Development at the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants, explains some of the pain points and potential bright spots from the quarterly data.