The vast majority, namely 83% of members of the European Business Association (EBA), forecast growth of their business in 2022, while a year ago 60% members said this, according to Business Forecast 2022 conducted by the European Business Association together with Nestlé Ukraine.
“In 2022, the vast majority, namely 83% of the respondents, forecast growth of their business, 15% of the directors assume it will be possible to sustain their business performance at the level of 2021, and only 2% expect some deterioration in their business situation (14% last year),” the EBA said.
According to the press release, the companies have significantly improved the financial forecasts for next year. Most entrepreneurs, namely 67%, forecast income growth by 10-20% – in hryvnia. This figure returned to the level of 2020 after a significant decline in the past.
Thus, 36% of directors expect revenue growth of up to 10% in volume terms, and almost half (49%) expect a 10-20% growth, the EBA said.
All respondents to this year’s survey note their plans to increase the salaries of their employees in 2022. Most managers, namely 55%, plan to increase salaries by 5-10%. Other 30% will increase salaries by 10-20%. It should be mentioned that last year 15% of the companies were not able to increase staff salaries.
The companies are enthusiastic about the plans to create new jobs. Thus, last year 60% of companies did not plan any changes in their staff, while this year their number is only 36%. The majority, namely 58% of the top managers, plan to expand their staff. And only 6% of the companies will be forced to reduce staff.
One-third of the entrepreneurs, namely 32%, plan to implement new investment projects next year with a budget from $20,000 to $400 million. Moreover, we are pleased to note that almost half of the respondents (49%) plan to invest in social initiatives aimed at supporting Ukrainian society next year.
“Such optimistic forecasts of the directors are certainly very uplifting. Maybe, for the first time since the pandemic broke, we can talk about a significant improvement in the assessments and sentiments of the top managers regarding their own business plans,” EBA Executive Director Anna Derevyanko said.
The CEOs also identified the top three tasks from business to the government for next year. It’s been the second year in a row that the first need mentioned is the need for judicial reform and the rule of law, the second is the fight against corruption, and the third is the need to ensure political stability and effective management in the country. Also, this year, the directors highlighted the importance of further reforming the tax and customs sectors.
Altogether, 95 CEOs of the EBA member companies took part in the Business forecast 2022 study, conducted in September 2021.
The leaders of Ukrainian companies named a shortage of labor among the main barriers to doing business in 2019, but 92% of them predict their businesses will grow in the next three years, according to the annual review made by KMPG in Ukraine.
According to the Global CEO Outlook study in Ukraine, during which 130 heads of companies were surveyed, 35% of CEOs (chief executive officer) plan to increase investment in innovation in the next three years, while among the heads of world companies 69% announced such plans.
At the same time, only 39% of the leaders of Ukrainian companies consider their business prepared for cyberattacks, and 31% found it difficult to evaluate their business regarding cyber security, the report says.
At the same time, 52% of managers called staff training the key strategy for preparing the company for the future, 57% would prefer to invest in labor than in technology. However, the global survey shows a different trend – only 32% of the heads of global companies surveyed prefer investment in human resources compared to investments in technology.
Only 16% of organizations around the world have implemented artificial intelligence in the automation of some of their business processes. In Ukraine, given the low labor costs, CEOs see the achievement of return on investment in artificial intelligence and process automation as a distant future.
Among the risks for business development, the heads of Ukrainian companies, in addition to labor shortages, noted regulatory and operational risks, as well as return to economic nationalism.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has reshuffled the National Investment Council, appointing two deputies head of the Office of the President of Ukraine and introducing officials from foreign companies.
In particular, Zelensky’s decree introduces Senior Vice President, CFO of General Electric (the United States) Jamie Miller, Board Chairman and Executive Director of Rakuten Inc. (Japan) Hiroshi Mikitani, as well as CEO at Bank Citigroup Inc. (the United States) for Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA) David Livingston (all three by their consent) as members of the National Investment Council.
The President introduced Livingston to the National Investment Council instead of Chief Operating Officer for Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA) at Bank Citigroup Inc. James C. Cowles.
In addition, deputies head of the office of the President of Ukraine Oleksiy Honcharuk and Vadym Prystaiko were approved members of the council.
CEOS, CITIGROUP, GENERAL ELECTRIC, INVESTMENT COUNCIL, RAKUTEN, ZELENSKY
