Executives are also expressing much greater optimism about economic trends. With unemployment down to nearly 5 percent, only 39 percent said they would treat hiring new workers with caution, down from 54 percent three years ago. And whereas 84 percent of executives in 2012 said they were worried about having unhappy employees who were only sticking around because they couldn't find work elsewhere, only 43 percent express the same concern today.

 Employers also don't feel particularly threatened by the recent Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage. Only 6 percent of survey respondents said they were waiting for a decision in the landmark case, Obergefell v. Hodges, which established same-sex marriage as a right nationwide. Another recent study showed that some employers plan to change their benefit plans by phasing out domestic partnership benefits, no doubt because married same-sex couples will simply be brought into the same framework as existing opposite-sex spouses.

 The most common employer concern appears to come from the NLRB's proposals to reform the definition of "joint employee." Sixty nine percent of executives say they are concerned that such a change could make them more vulnerable to suits over the working conditions of sub-contractors.

 Another frequent concern is legal action from employees. A majority (57 percent) say they expect to see an increase in claims from workers over discrimination in hiring practices, including over the use of criminal and credit history in hiring. A sizable minority (37 percent) are concerned about claims relating to accommodating disabled workers and 34 percent are worried about equal pay claims.