2010 Outlook Survey: Initial Results

Preliminary data collected from AMS’s 2010 forecasting survey has begun to yield results that tell a tale of cautious optimism among professionals from a wide spectrum of organizations and industries. Though early indicators show that most survey participants expect economic recovery to be a slow process, many seem to think that the worst is behind us.

More than one third of participants, the largest group of whom work in the nonprofit and financial sectors, expect to see employment rates recovery significantly after two quarters of steady improvement. Another 35 percent expect recovery by the final quarter of the year.

Those polled also predict modest recovery in the IPO/M&A markets, with more than 90 percent indicating that they expect to see some increase in both areas.

Over 40 percent believe that companies learned invaluable lessons about process optimization that will keep lean practices relevant after economic recovery, Almost half believe that long-term process optimization among organizations will vary on a case-by-case basis. No one felt that most companies would simply return to their pre-recession modes of operation.

According to those polled, health care reform is the hottest external issue of 2010. Health care reform is particularly important among professionals working within the nonprofit sector, where over 56 percent of respondents chose it as the most important issue on their professional radar.

The majority of respondents tabbed staffing and team development, along with budgeting and forecasting, as the two most important internal issues facing their organizations.

A miniscule percentage of respondents feel that the U.S. economy can recover without global cooperation. Nearly 70 percent of participants are saying that global cooperation is essential, while another 29 percent believe that thinking globally will, at the very least, help expedite the process of recovery.

As this ongoing study begins to take shape, interesting and significant trends continue to emerge. If you haven’t yet taken the survey, take it now and you’ll receive our 2010 forecast report when it becomes available.