Optimism about the Canadian economy is up sharply among executive
professional accountants climbing to its highest level since the second
quarter of 2011, according to the latest CPA Canada Business Monitor (Q3
2013).
Thirty-seven per cent of the respondents surveyed are
optimistic about how the national economy will perform over the next 12
months. In both the first and second quarters of this year, only 26 per
cent were
optimistic. Fifty-six per cent of those surveyed in the third
quarter of 2013 are neutral and just under 10 per cent are pessimistic.
While
there have been wide spread fluctuations since the quarterly surveys
began, economic optimism is now at its highest level since Q2 2011 when
43 per cent of the respondents felt good about the prospects for the
Canadian economy. The highest level of optimism for the on-going
research is 67 per cent, recorded in the second and third quarters of
2007.
“The increase in economic optimism is certainly positive but
it must be put into perspective,” says Kevin Dancey, FCPA, FCA,
president and CEO, Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada (CPA
Canada). “While very few of the respondents are pessimistic, the
majority are still not prepared to express optimism. Hopefully, further
upswings in optimism lie ahead.”
The state of the U.S. economy is
viewed as the biggest challenge to economic growth by survey respondents
(43 per cent) followed by uncertainty surrounding the Canadian economy
(18 per cent).
Company optimism is up slightly from last quarter.
Fifty per cent are optimistic about how their company will perform over
the next 12 months compared with 47 per cent the previous quarter.
No
significant changes are emerging in projections for revenues and
profits with the majority of respondents still anticipating increases.
Sixty-four per cent of respondents expect their revenues to grow in the
next year and 59 per cent are forecasting an increase in profits.
Employment Projections Down
Despite
an increase in economic optimism, the third quarter survey found that
fewer respondents are forecasting an increase in employee numbers at
their companies. Thirty-four per cent of the respondents expect employee
numbers at their company to increase in the next 12 months, down from
40 per cent the previous quarter. Forty-seven per cent of the
respondents anticipate no change and 19 per cent expect a drop.
Looking
forward, some hiring challenges may be looming. Two-thirds of those
surveyed believe that Canada does not have enough skilled workers and
professionals to fill certain positions. In addition, roughly
seven-in-ten (71 per cent) anticipate that their organization will have
difficulty filling a skilled position over the next two years: 39 per
cent referenced skilled trades, 22 per cent middle management, 15 per
cent professional positions, 14 per cent senior management and 11 per
cent stated other. More than one response could be provided. Twenty-nine
per cent of those surveyed do not anticipate difficulty in filling any
types of skilled positions.
When asked what steps their company
takes to hire skilled workers, asking employees to refer potential
candidates was the number one response (56 per cent). Using recruiting
firms to source talent within the province was next at 49 per cent.
“It
makes sense for organizations to seek assistance from their employees,”
says Dancey. “Employees understand the operation and recognize that it
is their reputation on the line when recommending someone for a
position.”
Background Information
The
CPA Canada Business Monitor is issued quarterly, based on a survey
commissioned by CPA Canada. The report draws upon business insights of
professional accountants in leadership positions in privately and
publicly held companies.
For the Q3 2013 study, emailed surveys
were completed by 200 of 4,245 identified by CPA Canada as holding
senior positions (CFOs, CEOs, COOs and other senior executive roles).
The response rate was 4.7 per cent, with a margin of error associated
with this type of study at ±6.9 per cent, with a confidence level of 95
per cent. The survey was conducted by Harris/Decima Inc. from August 7 -
September 3, 2013. A background document is available online at
www.cica.ca/businessmo