Companies are growing more upbeat about the U.S. economy thisyear and plan to take on more workers as demand improves, a surveyshowed.

Some 78 percent of businesses, the most in a year, project theworld's largest economy will expand more than 2 percent in 2012,according to the National Association for Business Economics' Aprilsurvey released today in Washington. The share is up from 65percent in the group's January report.

About four in 10 firms, the most since July 2011, said theyexpect employment to pick up in the next six months, showingbusinesses are looking beyond higher oil prices and Europe's debtcrisis. At the same time, 66 percent said they expect no change inprices in the next three months, indicating Federal Reserve policymakers will have room to keep interest rates low to nurture thealmost three-year-old expansion.