1,400 CEOs Share Expectations For The Economy And Jobs In 2017

PWC released their survey of around 1,400 CEOs from 79 countries, which aims to gauge their expectations for growth of their company and as well as the economy.

For 2017, 38% (35% in 2016) of the CEOs are confident about their organisation’s growth prospects and 29% (27% in 2016) are of the opinion that global economic growth will see an uptick.

The leaders expressed concern over a number of issues, including over-regulation (80%), economic uncertainty (82%), availability of key skills (77%) and protectionism (59%).

As per Bob Moritz, PWC’s Global Chairman:

“Despite a tumultuous 2016, CEO confidence is moving back up – albeit slowly and still a long way from the levels we saw back in 2007. But there are signs of optimism right across the globe, including in the UK and US, where despite predictions of a Trump slump and a Brexit exit, CEOs confidence in their company’s growth are up from 2016. “

77% of CEOs are also worried about the availability of talent which matches the skills their business needs. This issue is the most pressing for leaders in Africa (80%) and Asia Pacific (82%).

52% of CEOs plan to increase headcount in 2017, while 16% are looking to reduce the number of people employed. Leaders in India (67%), Canada (64%), UK (63%) and China (60%) report the biggest hiring plans.

The industries where the most hires are expected are Asset Management (64%), Healthcare (64%) and Technology (59%).

For detailed information on the survey results and CEO interviews, take a look here.