Zurich, 15 May 2025 – Swiss C-level executives point to increased competition, economic uncertainty and political tensions as growth barriers. However, many businesses are planning international expansion, while talent shortages remain an obstacle. These are the main results of the latest C-suite barometer, conducted by Forvis Mazars Group, the international audit, tax and advisory services partnership. The C-suite barometer captures the views of over 1,700 C-suite executives in more than 35 countries and territories.
C-suite leaders in Switzerland, like others globally, report increased competition (40%), economic uncertainty (38%) and political tensions/instability (34%) as the factors most likely to slow growth.
Looking at the external trends expected to have the greatest impact on businesses, energy prices emerge as the top concern in Switzerland (40%), significantly higher than the global figure of 29%. Geopolitical tensions follow closely at 38%, while economic trends (including inflation) are the third most important factor, selected by 34% of Swiss executives.
Over the next three to five years, Swiss business leaders are prioritising international expansion and the introduction of new product and service categories, with 30% of executives identifying these as their top strategic goals. While globally, businesses rank the transformation of IT/technology as their highest priority at 43%, C-suite leaders place it only 6th, with 25%.
In addition to growth initiatives, companies are also focusing on restructuring and cost reduction, as well as mergers, acquisitions, and joint ventures, both ranking as the third most important priorities, selected by 28% of Swiss executives. These figures highlight Switzerland's proactive approach to business transformation and consolidation.
A significant 82% of Swiss businesses plan to expand internationally within the next five years, demonstrating strong ambitions for global growth. The main challenges for those planning to expand internationally are securing a local workforce and political tensions.
Less than half of businesses in Switzerland report a dedicated strategy for technology transformation (49% in Switzerland vs 76% globally) or implementing artificial intelligence, both significantly lower than the global average. There are also fewer executives (30% in Switzerland vs 49% globally) who believe AI will have a “significant” impact on their organisation. Significantly lower proportions report current use of AI in their organisation, both for internal processes (58% in Switzerland vs 77% globally) and for commercial products/services (57% in Switzerland vs 70% globally).
The top digital transformation priorities for executives in Switzerland are growth initiatives, efficiency and productivity, and customer knowledge.
Four in five executives in Switzerland express some ethical concerns about AI, which is higher than the global proportion (72%), although fewer have “major” concerns, and half of the executives in Switzerland see more AI regulation as “essential” or “very important”.
A slightly higher proportion of businesses in Switzerland than elsewhere globally report challenges in hiring new talent (51% vs 43%). The biggest recruitment challenge for executives is at the mid/intermediate level (vs graduate/mid-level globally). They have less difficulty hiring at the senior end of the scale.
Hybrid work policies are less of a priority in Switzerland (26%) than globally (39%).
Executives in Switzerland consider cross-cultural experience to be the most essential leadership quality (38% vs 23%), closely followed by the ability to make tough decisions. In contrast, businesses globally prioritise strategic vision and planning (25% in Switzerland vs 35% globally), along with analytical thinking and problem-solving, as the most critical leadership attributes.
Two-thirds of executives in Switzerland report that their company is "completely" or "mostly" prepared to meet sustainability reporting requirements, yet less than the global average of 82%. However, the number of businesses publishing sustainability reports remains significantly lower than the global average (28% in Switzerland vs 53% globally).
Two-thirds of C-suite leaders in Switzerland consider ESG requirements to be more of a cost than an opportunity – slightly higher than others globally (60%).
Key ESG reporting areas include climate and carbon impacts, biodiversity, governance, and responsible supply chains.
The C-suite barometer: outlook 2025 explores the views, challenges, and strategic priorities of today’s C-suite leaders around the world. This independent research was conducted between 28 September and 23 October 2024 and captures the views of 1,706 C-suite leaders at for-profit organisations with annual revenues of over $1million in more than 35 countries. The report provides an optimistic outlook for growth while highlighting critical challenges and emerging trends. However, it’s important to contextualise these findings against a backdrop of newly emerging concerns, including geopolitical tensions, inflation-linked uncertainties, and regulatory shifts following the 2024 U.S. elections, which may shape the business climate in unforeseen ways.
Swiss C-suite executives point to increased competition, economic uncertainty and political tensions as growth barriers. However, many businesses are planning international expansion, while talent shortages remain an obstacle. These are the main results of the C-suite barometer 2025: Swiss outlook. Explore more findings.
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