audit partners seeing modest optimism across companies.
by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research
auditors have a special sense of what’s happening in american business. they see the numbers that others don’t. they prepare their firms and clients for what’s to come.
this year, audit partners are sensing a guarded confidence in the economy, albeit with considerable nervousness about the geopolitical situation, according to the center for audit quality’s 2024 audit partner pulse survey.
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geopolitical instability
for the first time, geopolitical instability ranks in the top five economic risks facing companies over the next 12 months.
in fact, it ranks third, a fear substantially more serious than that of cybersecurity and rising interest rates.
the biggest risk is closer to home – the fear of regulation, with 21 percent seeing it as the single largest economic risk. another 20 percent rate it second.
recession runs a close second. despite the continued resilience of the u.s. economy, 25 percent of auditors put it at the top of their risk list, and 14 percent rank it second. auditors report four lingering indicators of recession:
- inflation
- recent federal rate cuts
- a possible government shutdown
- a fluctuating labor market
meanwhile: record optimism
but that’s a perception of upcoming risk, a possibility for the future. it doesn’t keep 38 percent of public company auditors from expressing optimism for the economy over the next 12 months. that’s way up from the 19 percent who said the same in the fall of 2023 and the 8 percent back in the fall of 2022.
though geopolitical instability ranked third, its emergence into the top five risks indicates a recognition that conflicts overseas are serious enough to impact the american economy. the main concerns? you guessed it:
- ukraine
- middle east
- taiwan
what could go wrong there?
related to the general political instability is a widespread concern over the impact of the u.s election on corporate financial performance. sixty-five percent of responding auditors say that companies in their primary industry sector have expressed concerns.
still, few if any companies were foreseeing major disruptions or making strategic preparations. “this,” the survey says, “suggests that public companies feel prepared to navigate foreseeable market challenges that may arise from a changing presidential administration and potential changes in control of congress.”
shifting labor priorities
companies are shifting their labor strategies based on developments since the “great resignation” they experienced in 2020. the labor shortage has eased significantly, according to the survey, and labor is no longer a top-five concern.
the challenge now isn’t finding labor as much as improving labor. a solid two-thirds of auditors see companies upskilling their employees.
but maybe not all employees, as 59 percent are looking for ways to reduce their payroll headcount, and only a tenth expect to increase their employment rolls.
just over half (51 percent) want to reduce workplace flexibility while 16 percent want to increase it.
only 24 percent are looking to increase compensation, and only 12 percent see a need to expand employee benefits.
ai vs. labor
the pullback on head counts, job flexibility and compensation may be partly driven by big hopes for the potential of artificial intelligence. can it reduce the dependence on employees?
ai is already finding widespread application, though it seems to be focused on increasing productivity, not replacing people.
- 62 percent see companies using it for process automation.
- 52 percent see it being used for customer service.
- 34 percent see it applied to predictive analysis.
- 28 percent see it in use for targeted marketing.
some of the more obvious applications of ai seem to be still more in potential than actual usage.
- 20 percent see companies using ai for content creation.
- 16 percent see them using it for cybersecurity.
- only 14 percent have found a way to use it for fraud detection.
crypto? not yet.
despite the media folderol and feeding frenzy over cryptocurrency, big companies aren’t getting involved. only 10 percent of respondents see companies investing in the stuff, and 83 percent will have nothing to do with it. a minuscule 2 percent accept cryptocurrency as payment.