(19.06.2024) Swiss senior executives are generally satisfied with the current economic situation. Although the business climate index from the Swiss Managers Survey is slightly lower than in 2023, it indicates significantly more optimistic short-term forecasts for 2024 compared to last year.
Fewer than one in ten executives rate their company's situation as "poor" or "very poor." Like 2023, most respondents describe the economic situation as "good" or even "very good." The industrial sector, in particular, reports a slightly more positive economic environment than the services sector.
Across all industries, most executives surveyed anticipate a favorable or very favorable economic period over the next six months. More than a third expect business conditions to remain stable during this period. However, about 10% fear a deterioration in the business environment. In Italian-speaking Switzerland, nearly one in five companies is concerned about the business outlook for the coming months.
The report shows that environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues have become more important for Swiss companies since 2022, particularly in terms of environmental sustainability.
Strict regulations and customer demand are driving this trend. The report indicates that nearly half of multinational companies have appointed an ESG officer within their management teams. Across all companies, nearly one in three senior executives believes that environmental issues have progressed over the past two years.
Published by a group of four academic institutions, including the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), the Swiss ManagersSurvey was conducted with 400 companies from all linguistic regions of the country, covering various sectors. The data was collected between March and April 2024.
Last modification 19.06.2024
