Ai Group releases annual CEO survey on the year ahead

The Australian Industry Group has released its annual CEO survey, characterising business leaders as “on balance… cautiously hopeful” about 2022, but clearly expecting further difficulties as a result of the pandemic.

Among results from the survey of 346 respondents were 79 per cent anticipating further disruptions this year due to Covid-19, nearly half of respondents citing the virus as their leading barrier to growth, only 17 per cent expecting supply chain impacts to improve this year versus last, and 73 per cent tipping difficulties finding and retaining skilled staff.

“On balance Australia’s business leaders are cautiously hopeful that 2022 will be a year of improved business conditions, moderate growth, and further employment creation,” said Ai Group chief executive Innes Willox in a statement.

He added that it was clear respondents were, “expecting their businesses to face fresh disruptions from COVID-19 in 2022” and that their cautious hopefulness “comes despite the seriousness of the disruptions they anticipate will characterise 2022 and is a vote of confidence in the strategies and investment priorities they anticipate deploying.”

Willox said that in an election year, and in view of additional and significant longer-term challenges – particularly slow growth in productivity and business investment – political leaders should also give these the attention they deserved.

The report can be accessed here.

Picture: Innes Willox (www.abc.net.au)

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