RJ and Makay

>> Read More RJ & Makay Blog Posts

American chief executives had a brightened perspective on the economy in the first quarter of 2012, and more of them plan to ramp up hiring and make more capital equipment investments, according to a recent Business Roundtable survey.  42% of executives are planning to add additional staff, and 48% expect to boost spending.  Both numbers are a 16-point improvement from the prior quarter.  16% expect to reduce staff in the next six months.

March was a solid month for the jobs market, with private U.S. employers adding 201,000 jobs, reports ADP Employer Services. The ADP report, created jointly with Macroeconomic Advisers LLC, is in line with what economists expect to hear Friday from the government in its more comprehensive public and private sector employment report.

"While a touch softer than February's, this is a strong report that indicates continued momentum in the pace of labor market recovery," says Barclays Capital, noting it still expects the government's report on Friday to show 175,000 new jobs in March. In a new Reuters poll of economists, median forecasts call for increases in nonfarm and private payrolls of 190,000 and 200,000, respectively.

Although the job market hasn't shown much improvement since the recession began, projections for job growth in 2011 are optimistic. That's because the earliest signs of revival are there.

Businesses increased their payrolls by 103,000 workers in December, for example, and the Labor Department recently revised its initial estimates of October and November job gains upward by 70,000. Furthermore, unemployment fell to 9.4% from 9.8% in November (although that drop partly reflected people who have simply stopped looking for work).