Fortune - USA (2019-06)

(Antfer) #1

WHERE THE GLOBAL ECONOMY IS HEADED


POLITICS AND REGULATION


IN THE NEXT 12 MONTHS, THE GLOBAL


ECONOMY WILL BE BETTER THAN


LAST YEAR


TWO YEARS FROM NOW, RESPONDENTS’


FIRM WILL HAVE MORE EMPLOYEES


THE SAME


NUMBER


FEWER


EMPLOYEES


THE NEXT RECESSION WILL COME:


WORSE THE SAME


IN THE


NEXT 12


MONTHS


IN 1


TO 2


YEARS


IN 3


TO 4


YEARS


LATER


17%


61%


65% 17% 18%


22%


3%


46% 46%


5%


SOME COMPANIES HAVE GROWN SO LARGE AND INFLUENTIAL THAT THEY ARE IN


NEED OF ADDITIONAL REGULATION. NOTABLY:


A.I. TO THE RESCUE


USED A.I. TO


IMPROVE


EFFICIENCY/


REDUCE COST


USED A.I. TO


CREATE NEW


PRODUCTS/


60 % SERVICES 22 %


SAY CAPITALISM IS NOT IN CRISIS BUT


WOULD BENEFIT FROM SOME


TWEAKING TO BETTER SERVE SOCIETY.


BELIEVE THEIR COMPANY SHOULD ACTIVELY SEEK


WAYS TO ADDRESS MAJOR SOCIAL PROBLEMS AS


(^71) PART OF THEIR CORE BUSINESS STRATEGY.


%


42


%


best REGION FOR
investment
opportunity in the
next two yearS 75 %

U.S.


77%


14%


9% RESPONDENTS WHO FAVOR THE


TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S


TRADE ACTION


WITH CHINA


IN THE PAST YEAR,


THE FEDERAL


RESERVE HAS BEEN


TOO SLOW IN


RAISING RATES


TOO AGGRESSIVE


JUST RIGHT RESPONDENTS


WHO OPPOSE


80%


20%


51% IN FAVOR 41% 39%


VERY BIG CHALLENGES


33%


INCREASED


REGULATION


25%


SKILLED LABOR


SHORTAGE


17%


COMPETITION


FROM CHINA


47%


CYBER-


SECURITY


33%


TECHNOLOGICAL


CHANGE


7%


SHAREHOLDER


ACTIVISM


Seeing Trends
ANALYTICS in the Data

PAGE


2019 CEO SURVE Y:^3


THE RESULTS ARE IN


The CEOs of the Fortune 500 are feeling
increasingly cautious. A growing number fear the
global economy will worsen in the next year, and
close to half are preparing for a recession within
the next two years. Despite those worrying signs,
they still plan to increase employee headcount
and invest in A.I. They also think America is the
best place to invest your money. The poll was
administered by email between May 1 and May 10,
and the response rate was 18%. —ALAN MURRAY

Last year, the CEOs of the Fortune 500 were ebullient about global prospects,
with 40% of CEOs believing the global economy would improve. Now just
17% have such high hopes for the next 12 months. But our CEOs are not
doomsayers. Most expect things to stay relatively stable in the next year.


President Trump’s tough stance on China has gotten more popular in the
past year. In 2018, a little over half of CEOs approved of the President’s
trade spat with Beijing. Now four-fifths approve of the posture. Meanwhile,
the Federal Reserve seems to have hit the right balance on interest rates.

The CEOs were asked to rank the issues below on how big
a challenge they pose to their business. The percentages
represent the share that identified each as “very big.”

Artificial intelligence isn’t the future; it’s the now. Already
more than half of Fortune 500 CEOs say their company is
using these technologies to improve efficiency.

29


FORTUNE.COM // JUNE .1 .19

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