In an increasingly volatile world, companies are finding it more difficult to forecast various factors, and that is creating greater uncertainty around corporate earnings.

A survey of North American finance executives by the Association for Financial Professionals (AFP) and Oliver Wyman Group found that 53% said earnings uncertainty is a bigger concern than it was five years ago, prior to the financial crisis. And there's little relief in sight, with 52% predicting that earnings uncertainty will increase over the next three years.

“The overall number of people who felt that forecasting is more difficult than five years ago, that's a startling number,” said David Beckoff, manager of survey research at AFP and the author of the report. “It also jumps out that when you say what about the next three years, basically an equivalent number say it's going to get more challenging.”