Special Edition: 3Q 2021 CFO Signals survey results: What leading CFOs are thinking and doing

Published on: Sep 30, 2021

Labor shortages, talent recruiting and retention, burnout, morale, potential delays in return-to-work, and rising wages are the internal risks CFOs cited most frequently in this quarter’s survey. Of course, other challenges are adding to their stress, including the pressure to grow their organizations and to deliver products and services in a timely manner amid supply chain disruptions.

Those challenges, and CFO perspectives on the economy, are highlighted in the 3Q 2021 CFO Signals™ survey report. Highlights this quarter include:

  • CFOs’ views of regional economies: From an economic perspective, the majority of CFOs remain positive overall and more so than in many pre-pandemic quarters. But the percentage of CFOs expecting future economic conditions to be better varies by region.
  • Own-company financial prospects and growth expectations: Regarding their own company financial prospects, CFOs remain positive, but tempered.
  • M&A plans: M&A is on CFOs’ agendas, especially in light of the difficulty of growing organically. Slightly more than one-quarter said M&A will fuel 11% to 20% of their companies’ growth, and another 14% of CFOs expect deals to create 21% to 30% of their growth in the next three years.
  • Supply chains: Forty-four percent of CFOs said supply chain shortages or delays have increased their companies’ costs by 5% or more, and 32% reported their 2021 sales already have fallen, while 28% expect future sales to suffer this year as a result. Add to this their top three supply chain risks: cyber risk, operational risk, and geopolitical risk.

Explore the 3Q 2021 CFO Signals survey results to learn more.

This publication was released by our US firm.

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