- More companies are optimistic about 2025 compared to 2023
- Cash, skills shortages and trade wars are causes for concern
- Three out of four leaders see AI as one of the three priority technologies
Three in five (62%) global business leaders are optimistic about their organization’s prospects this year, up six percentage points from 2023, new research from Capgemini reveals.
In the coming year, companies will continue to invest in new projects despite market uncertainty, and exactly half of global organizations are willing to increase their spending, according to the report.
Despite the initially positive outlook, some key obstacles remain. Fortunately, however, these are many of the same obstacles that companies have faced for several years, putting them in a good position to overcome them.
Business optimism is rising
Top investment areas for 2025 include customer experience, engineering, research and development, innovation and supply chain transformation, and artificial intelligence will revolutionize each of these areas.
That said, worrying economic conditions continue to restrict free cash flow: 56% plan to further reduce costs, rather than increase revenues to address limited funds.
The current skills shortage also continues to present its own challenges, with three in five (61%) UK leaders citing a shortage of tech skills as a competitive barrier, despite wanting to increase investment in technology by up to 13%. this year.
New challenges are also rising to the surface: four in five companies are looking to diversify their supply chains to reduce their dependence on China amid the ongoing US-China trade war; Nearly three-quarters are now concerned about potential trade. tariffs and other measures.
“As we look to 2025, business leaders are navigating uncertainty with an attitude of confidence and resilience, two qualities that our research shows they are seeking to instill in their organizations through technology investment,” said Capgemini CEO, Aiman Ezzat.
Looking ahead, three in four executives globally ranked AI among their top three priority technologies for the coming year, and the technology is now showing signs of slowing down.
