Adecco Group reported better-than-expected earnings during its fourth quarter on Thursday with Chief Executive Alain Dehaze telling CNBC he hoped the staffing firm could build on the positive momentum stemming from the U.S.

The human resources firm - which is regularly named the world's largest staffing firm by revenue - said net profit climbed 17 percent in the final three months of 2016 to 216 million euros ($227.5 million), beating an average estimate of 182 million euros in a Reuters poll.

"We see that we are living in a world of modest growth with a lot of geopolitical uncertainties but we see also that the momentum has slightly improved in the fourth quarter. Also, in the U.S., you see that in the fourth quarter we had a growth of 1 percent," Alain Dehaze, chief executive officer at Adecco Group, told CNBC on Thursday.

"We are waiting for the investment of the new administration in the U.S. concerning the investment in infrastructure and the potential for growth and the potential for further employment," Dehaze added.

Dehaze described himself as "very pleased" with the latest figures and confirmed the business had decided to initiate a share buyback program of up to 300 million euros.