IMD World Competitiveness Booklet 2022

Figure 1: Most important trends impacting business in 2022 according to executives (IMD Executive Opinion Survey 2022)

Most important trends impacting business in 2022 according to executives (IMD Executive Opinion Survey)

Inflationary pressures Geopolitical conflicts Supply chain bottlenecks

50%

47%

47%

The prolonged presence of COVID-19 Remote work and hybrid work models Disruptive technologies Reduced in-person interactions with customers New regulation on greenhouse emissions Socio-economic disparities (income, gender, racial, etc.) New minimum global tax

43%

34%

23%

21%

14%

14%

7%

NOTE: The IMD Executive Opinion Survey was run between February 17 th , 2022-May 11 th , 2022. Only 3% of total responses were collected before the start of the Ukrainian-Russian war (February 24 zh , 2022). Based on a sample of 4’097 C-level and mid-level managers from the 63 countries included in the study.

of a prolonged presence of COVID-19 came fourth (43%). Interestingly, fewer than 15% of the individuals sampled see factors such as regulation on greenhouse emissions and socio-economic disparities as having an impact on business in 2022. This is in direct contrast to the perceptions executives had a year ago. As may have been expected, the war in Ukraine shifted executives’ concerns for 2022. A small yet sufficient number of executives – about 3-4% of our sample – responded before the conflict began on 24 th February 2022. Over 67% of those executives considered the prolonged presence of COVID-19 to be the number one issue for businesses in 2022. In addi- tion, geopolitical tensions have further exacerbated concerns about inflation and supply chain bottlenecks. Executives’ concerns also vary by geog- raphy. On the one hand, geopolitical

conflicts are the most threatening factor for business, according to executives operating in Western and Eastern Europe. Ex-CIS and Central Asian executives also place geopolitical conflicts as the second most troubling trend. On the other hand, corporate leaders from other parts of the world are mostly worried by factors such as the prolonged presence of COVID-19 (top trend in Eastern Asia and Southern Asia & the Pacific), inflationary pres - sures (North America, South America, Ex-CIS and Central Asia) and supply chain bottlenecks (Western Asia & Africa). Interestingly, Southern Asia & the Pacific and Western Europe are the regions with the highest share of executives (over 40%) to express concern about remote working and hybrid working models. Curbing climate change has long been identified as one of the biggest chal - lenges of our times. Despite activism among the public and a growing number

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