A man is seen in silhouette in the Congress center on the opening of the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos on Jan 15, 2024. (PHOTO / AFP)

DAVOS, Switzerland - Economic optimism has more than doubled year-on-year but almost half of CEOs doubt the viability of their businesses as tech and climate pressures accelerate, a new PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) survey presented at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos on Monday showed.

CEOs' optimism about global growth prospects has grown from 18 to 38 percent compared to last year as concerns about inflation and macroeconomic volatility are easing, PwC's 27th "Annual Global CEO Survey" revealed.

The survey also showed that confidence is fragile with 45 percent not believing that their business will be viable in a decade without reinvention, up from 39 percent in 2023

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Up to 39 percent of global chief executives said they expect their company's headcount to increase by 5 percent or more in 2024.

However, the survey also showed that confidence is fragile with 45 percent not believing that their business will be viable in a decade without reinvention, up from 39 percent in 2023.

Meanwhile, CEOs expect more pressure over the next three years due to such challenges as technology and climate.

The survey, which interviewed 4,702 CEOs across 105 countries and territories, also showed that four in ten CEOs have accepted lower returns for climate-friendly investments.

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PwC, EY, KPMG and Deloitte are called the "Big Four" accounting firms. PwC has offices in 151 countries and regions and employs almost 364,000 people, according to its website.