Optimistic outlook for 2018

While presented with the same global economy factors, as a private company, Plus Relocation sits in a very different place than some of our public competitors. This latest article, "Optimism Amid Uncertainty," is full of insight from nearly 1,900 leaders from private companies, across 30 different countries.   

Despite uncertainty and some interesting global conditions, the majority of leaders are very optimistic about their success over the next two years. The detailed report, "Global perspectives for private companies: Plans, priorities, and expectations," found that 67% of executives believe revenue will rise in the year ahead and a majority also think profits, productivity and capital investment will go up; further, 89% are confident their companies will be successful during the next 24 months. Gotta love the optimism heading into the new year!

The optimism seems to tie back to the fact that the vast majority of countries tracked by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development or OECD (all 45 of them) are set to grow their economies this next year. The Americas region was the most positive with 72% expecting business revenue to increase, while the Asia Pacific region, the least optimistic at 64%, was still very close and certainly quite positive.

One of the key points to the article was that the war for talent was still a big concern and factor related to company growth. The article states:

"As automation changes the future of work, the companies in our survey find themselves caught between two powerful trends, both triggered by the resumption in global growth: the need to hire new workers to meet increasing demand, and an intensifying battle for a shrinking pool of skilled workers."

Companies are looking to strengthen their management teams, developing talent pipelines, improving training programs, focusing on leadership development and overall increasing recruitment and hiring. 

One of the other interesting tidbits from this survey was that there seems to be a greater number of private businesses interested in the possibility of mergers and acquisitions with 42% of respondents anticipating that they are likely or very likely to acquire targets in the next 12 months.

As we move towards the end of 2017 and into 2018, we do so with much of this same optimism found in the survey. We are excited to support companies with their talent strategies and new business growth, whether that comes with entering new markets or through an acquisition, or a combination of the two!

Let us know what your expectations are for 2018, and what support you might need along the way!