Thursday, February 12, 2009, 2:41pm EST
Boston Business Journal - by Jackie Noblett

More CEOs say they are pessimistic about the state’s high tech business climate than at any point since 1991, according to a recent survey by the Massachusetts High Technology Council.

The high tech council’s 2009 CEO Business Climate Survey indicates 38 percent of technology CEOs believe the business climate is worsening, up from 4 percent a year ago. This level of pessimism was unseen even after the tech bubble bust of 2001, when pessimisim peaked at 26 percent in 2003.

In 1991, some 66 percent of CEOs said the business climate was worsening.

“The survey results are clearly reflective of the precarious economic and fiscal climate,” said Council Chairman and former Vertex Pharmaceuticals CEO Joshua Boger in a statement. “Difficult times like these reconfirm the need for a competitive and comprehensive economic strategy to accelerate growth of the state’s diverse innovation economy. Success in this arena will help build and sustain the world class schools that will supply the next generation of innovative talent and invigorate long-term economic and educational excellence.”

The high tech council will use these results to push its agenda on Beacon Hill in 2009, including a freeze on unemployment insurance benefit premiums, legislation to mitigate health care costs, science and technology education programs and efforts to ensure a rollback of corporate tax rates.