The rising confidence has translated into a planned boost in recruitment, with nearly 40 percent of CEOs expecting to increase their headcount this year. In contrast, about 25 percent of CEOs are planning job cuts over the next year, down from nearly half who decreased headcount in the past 12 months.

"The fears of a global economic meltdown have receded and CEOs are more upbeat about their prospects," said Deniis Nally, global chairman of PwC.

"CEOs' confidence is tempered, however, by the slow pace of recovery and the impact of often drastic cost-cutting and other steps taken to survive the downturn," he said.

But he noted that "the emerging economies are clearly recovering at a faster pace than those that are more developed."

The survey was conducted through interviews with about 1,198 CEOs in 52 countries during the last quarter of 2009.