Chief financial officers aren't expecting a double-dip recession but they're still not optimistic about the U.S. economy, according to a Duke University/CFO Magazine survey of 996 CFOs.

The quarterly survey from public and private companies around the world found that business spending is expected to grow, though more slowly than last quarter, and that hiring will continue albeit at a sluggish pace.

Another survey of corporate financial chiefs reinforces what's becoming a common refrain: The economic recovery is getting shakier.

CFOs' optimism has dropped, dampened by high energy prices, the ongoing housing slump and other factors. That's also reduced expectations for hiring, according to a quarterly survey of 806 chief financial officers by Duke University and CFO Magazine.

Fears of slower growth have rattled world financial markets in recent days, and on Tuesday Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bnernake said that the U.S. recovery is "frustratingly slow."

The mood of corporate CFOs is on the upswing with regard to the nation's economic prospects, according to a quarterly survey issued by Duke University and CFO Magazine.

The chief financial officers at public and private companies expect a boost in earnings growth and capital spending, offset by a modest recovery in employment.

The survey reports a confidence index of 61.3, based on a survey of 512 U.S. CFOs. That's the highest confidence index since early 2007, before CFO confidence bottomed out at an index of 40 during the recession.

The mood of top corporate beancounters and their bosses, which has remained consistently bleak this year, is beginning to improve as they look ahead to 2011.

About half of chief financial officers are more optimistic about the U.S. economy, according to the latest Duke University/CFO Magazine Global Business Outlook Survey released this morning. Only 14 percent are less optimistic.

"The current level of optimism has increased notably from last quarter," said Kate O'Sullivan, senior editor at CFO Magazine, in a prepared statement. "Finance chiefs are acting on this improved outlook by boosting their budgets."

Meanwhile, in another survey released this morning by the Business Roundtable, 45 percent of CEOs said they expect their companies to add more workers over the next six months. That's the highest percentage who have said they planned to add jobs since the survey began in late 2002.

The nation's top corporate beancounters remain mostly gloomy about the economy, which translates into weak employment growth during the next year.

That's the takeaway from the latest quarterly Duke University/CFO Magazine Business Outlook Survey released this morning. The survey, which concluded Sept. 10, asked 937 chief financial officers from public and private companies about their expectations for the economy.

CFOs, who oversee businesses' books and help set fiscal strategy, are considered good barometers of future economic activity.

CFO optimism about the U.S. economy has fallen to 49 on a zero-to-100 scale, down from 58 in the previous quarter. It was the lowest level since the first quarter of 2009, when optimism fell to 40.

Chief financial officers' outlook for the economy and their companies' health continues to improve but not enough to spur much hiring.

Full-time employment will increase a measly 0.7 percent over the next year, according to a quarterly survey of 1,102 CFOs by Duke University and CFO Magazine released this morning. Temporary employment will actually fall 0.2 percent, the survey showed.

Financial executives oversee businesses' books and are considered a good barometer of future economic activity. The gloomy hiring projection isn't good news for job seekers hoping to see demand improve.

About 70 percent of U.S. chief financial officers say that credit conditions are worse or much worse than in 2007, limiting businesses' ability to hire and continuing to dampen economic growth.

That's one grim finding from the latest quarterly survey of 1,389 chief financial officers, released this morning by Duke University and CFO Magazine.

"CFOs are telling us the credit crunch has not abated," said Duke professor Campbell Harvey, left, in a prepared statement. "It is hard to run the economic engine without any financial lubricant. This prolonged financial crunch poses a real risk of sending us into a double-dip recession."

About half of U.S. companies plan to increase full-time employment in the next year, but hiring remains modest at best and 56 percent won't get back to pre-recession employment levels until 2012 or later.

Two-thirds of U.S. companies don't expect their employment to return to pre-recession levels until 2011 or later.

That grim prediction was one slice of data from a new quarterly survey of 1,431 chief financial officers by Duke University and CFO Magazine. It's the latest report that reflects what many economists expect in the new year: that the slow recovery won't bring much relief for job seekers.

The survey showed that the executives expect business conditions to improve in 2010, but that hiring will be flat or down. And among firms that reduced hours worked, eliminated 401(k) matches or cut health benefits, two-thirds do not expect to restore those benefits in 2010.

“The economy has begun to show signs of life, but improvement in corporate performance appears to be coming on the backs of the employees,” said Kate O’Sullivan, senior editor at CFO Magazine, in a prepared statement.

The mood among corporate bookkeepers is improving, another sign that the economy is likely on the mend.

Nearly 60 percent of the 657 U.S. chief financial officers surveyed this month by Duke University and CFO Magazine say they are more optimistic about the economy than they were three months ago.

But 43 percent said they still expect their companies to cut more jobs during the next year. And capital spending on new projects and investments is expected to drop 3 percent.

“The economy is showing signs of life in the U.S., with CFOs expecting earnings to grow over the next year and corporate optimism improving again this quarter,” said Kate O’Sullivan, senior writer at CFO Magazine, in a prepared statement. “While this suggests that the overall economy is stabilizing, the employment picture continues to deteriorate.”