CEO Survey: Top managers more optimistic than they have been for a long time

Top managers worldwide are more optimistic than ever before: for the first time, the majority of the company leaders surveyed worldwide expect (57 %) that the global economy will grow in the coming twelve months. This is almost twice as many as in the previous year (29%) - the highest ever increase and also the most optimistic result achieved since the survey began. The view of their own company is slightly more skeptical: 42 percent of CEOs worldwide said they were very confident that their own company would grow in the next twelve months (previous year: 38%). Compared to last year, concerns about terrorism (41%) and cyber attacks (40%) have almost doubled. This is the result of this year's worldwide survey for the Global CEO Survey by the accounting and consulting firm PwC, in which 1,293 top managers from 85 countries participated. The results of the survey were published in the run-up to the World Economic Forum WEF 2o18 in Davos.

Swiss company leaders expect continued growth

Over the next 12 months, 39 percent of Swiss CEOs expect sales growth. When it comes to the three-year outlook, they are somewhat more cautious: 33 percent of Swiss company leaders remain very confident that they will be able to achieve growth in their own companies over the next 36 months. Urs Honegger, CEO of PwC Switzerland, explains: "The growing confidence in the global economy is certainly positive. In Switzerland, however, people remain skeptical about whether this growth will be sustainable." Top Swiss managers are particularly concerned about overregulation and geopolitical uncertainty. With regard to digitization, they also see cyber attacks, new market players and insufficient availability of key skills as a threat. "Uncertainties about the ever-growing digitization and the associated need for skilled labor are causing CEOs to remain cautious about their own longer-term growth," says Urs Honegger. He adds that the survey also shows that awareness of the issue of cyber security has increased. "The recent examples of Meltdown and Spectre confirm the threat of hacker attacks to companies and government institutions. Being appropriately prepared for such attacks is essential and one of the major challenges for top management," says Urs Honegger.

Socially responsible top managers?

In keeping with the theme of this year's World Economic Forum, the majority of business leaders also said they live in a fragmented world with multiple fragmented economies. CEOs around the world see a move toward more diverse norms and values (82%), regional trading blocs (73%), rising nationalism (65%), different economic models (60%), and increased tax competition (54%). Doubts about the positive influence of globalization have also grown. They express these when looking at fairness in global tax competition (49%), combating climate change and resource scarcity (50%) and closing the gap between rich and poor (41%). The majority of CEOs see the need to measure prosperity by more than just financial metrics. So is social responsibility increasingly finding its way into the carpeted floors? "The results of this year's survey indicate that globalization and technological progress have contributed to increased productivity and prosperity for the population in many markets. However, there are also many markets that have barely benefited from this development. A decoupling of economic and social benefits is emerging, leading to a loss of trust and differences within and between societies. Accordingly, it is becoming increasingly important for companies to keep social requirements in mind in addition to financial requirements. Companies should therefore not only put this on the management agenda, but also clearly communicate it as a company goal and be measured against it," says Honegger.

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