Indications

With 163 million employed workers, employment in the Euro Area has reached record-high levels in Q2 2022. Although hiring expectations are on a downward trend since March across all industries, the labor market is currently incredibly tight. Marion Devine, Associate Director for Insights on Human Capital, and Bettina Schaller, Senior Vice President Public Affairs for Adecco, and President of the World Employment Confederation discuss with Conference Board Ilaria Maselli how companies can improve the mental and financial wellbeing of workers, how demographic change is transforming the labor force, and how Gen-Z will change the way we work.

Despite having more than doubled since 2010, renewable energy makes up less than 20 percent in the US’ electricity mix. In this podcast episode, chief economist Dana Peterson discusses with senior economists Alex Heil and Erin McLaughlin the trends in the energy sector and how those affect businesses and households. They cover the uneven playing field in various states in the US, the costs of renewables and battery technologies, potential obstacles to a greater adoption of renewables, and what role federal and local policies play. You can find our report, Renewable Sources, here: https://www.conference-board.org/topics/tags.cfm?parent=energy-global-growth&child=State-of-Renewable-Energy-2022

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index® decreased for the third consecutive month in July, following a larger decline in June. The Index now stands at 95.7 (1985=100), down 2.7 points from 98.4 in June. Join Lynn Franco, Senior Director of Economic Indicators at The Conference Board as she talks with Chief Economist Dana Peterson about how inflation and additional Fed rate hikes are likely to continue posing strong headwinds for consumer spending and economic growth over the next six months.

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index® fell again in June Join Lynn Franco, Senior Director of Economic Indicators and Chief Economist Dana Peterson as they discuss why the risk of recession is rising, the one thing sparking confidence in consumers about the economy, and why the inflation expectation measure spiked to an all-time high.

A new set of lockdowns and the recent bond with Russia are reshaping the way businesses view China. In this podcast Ilaria Maselli asks David Hoffman – Senior VP Asia – to share views on the outlook for the economic recovery in China after the end of the lockdowns, how long China will stick to its zero-COVID policy, and the nature of the Sino-Russian relation. They also discuss what the war in Ukraine tells us about Taiwan, and how multinational companies view the future of doing business in China in the new geopolitical environment. See here the report Taiwan ≠ Ukraine: A Pragmatic Assessment.

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index® decreased slightly in May, following a small increase in April (after an upward revision). Join Lynn Franco, Senior Director of Economic Indicators at The Conference Board as she talks with Chief Economist Dana Peterson about how inflation, rising interest rates and perceived softening in the labor market all played a part in this month’s survey.

How does the use of financial services vary across Asian, Black, Hispanic, and White (Non-Hispanic) consumers in the US, and how can companies address existing services gaps? And how do multicultural consumers use restaurants, travel, personal services, education, and other services to express their ethnic origins, and what this all means for companies as US demographics are changing? Listen to this conversation by Ivan Pollard, Leader of the Marketing & Communications Center, with Dana Peterson, Chief Economist, and Denise Dahlhoff, Senior Researcher, about The Conference Board’s latest findings from its multicultural research series in collaboration with General Mills.

Semiconductors are found in just about everything we use – from cars to cell phones to refrigerators. But there seems to not be enough of them, and in the right places. Are we experiencing a computer chip crisis or is this sentiment overblown? How are semiconductors fueling inflation and affecting supply chains? What are businesses doing to overcome the challenges? What are opportunities for both users and producers of such a critical input? Listen, learn, and act!

In this podcast, Claudio Murri, Council Director for the Public Affairs Executives Council, discusses with two seasoned practitioners from the public affairs/government relations Brussels-based community how the conflict in Ukraine has impacted their profession. The current war has put even more pressure on the ethical and value-based aspects of the role and is changing the rules of engagement with policymakers. At a time when business leaders are increasingly being pushed to base their investment decisions on geopolitical – as well as pure commercial – considerations, Murri, explores how the role of public affairs professionals as strategic advisors, both inside and outside companies and organizations, is possibly becoming more relevant.

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index® decreased slightly in April, after an increase in March. Join Lynn Franco, Senior Director of Economic Indicators and Chief Economist Dana Peterson as they discuss how concerns about inflation retreated from an all-time high, but remain elevated, and how inflation and the war in Ukraine may further curb consumer spending this year.

A new podcast by The Conference Board unpacks the war in Ukraine’s implications for global energy markets and prices. In the conversation, Robin Mills, CEO at Qamar Energy, and Hiba Itani, Economist at The Conference Board, discuss the risks of embargos on Russian oil, along with which economies might be able to ramp up supplies and when. They also cover what governments can do to help support businesses, consumers, and vulnerable economies from the repercussions of surging oil prices.

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index® increased in March 2022. While the highest recorded figure of consumers say jobs are plentiful, their expectations declined. Join this podcast with Conference Board Chief Economist Dana Peterson and Lynn Franco, Senior Director of Economic Indicators as they discuss key drivers of these expectations, how consumers can be more optimistic going forward, and what makes The Conference Board survey different from others that are showing a weakening in consumer confidence.

Finance is playing a central role in the conflict between Russia and the Ukraine. From sanctions to crypto assets, we discuss how governments are using access to the global financial system to pressure an end to the violence and human suffering. Moreover, how Russia is finding alternatives to traditional finance. We also explore how businesses can protect themselves from financial exposure amid the ongoing crisis. By listening to this podcast you will:

Why does the West continue to misunderstand Russia’s drive? What is China’s role, and what does their unlimited friendship really mean? What do organizations need to be doing in terms of business continuity plans, in the event of a Russian cyber operation attack? In this podcast Sara Murray, Managing Director, International of The Conference Board is joined in by guest, Keir Giles to explore these issues. Giles is a British writer and expert on security issues affecting Russia, and on the armed forces of the Russian Federation. He is a senior consulting fellow of the Russia and Eurasia programme at Chatham House and a Research Director with the Conflict Studies Research Centre.

“We always made it seem like magic. Things just showed up – you had what you need” says Rear Admiral John Polowczyk in this episode of our Indicatiions podcast. In a compelling discussion with Chief Economist Dana Peterson, the Rear Admiral, who has a long history of supply chain management at the top levels of military and government, discusses how and why the COVID pandemic disrupted the delivery of goods. This episode was recorded before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but still contains pertinent information for companies as they struggle with even further shocks to the global supply chain. In this second part of our podcast series, produced in partnership with EY, you can listen to the conversation and learn: -Why companies’ approach to a lean supply chain and “just in time” inventory was a critical factor in the disruption of the system -What changes will need to be made to create more resilient supply chains, and why will it be so difficult to fix? -What is the role of the Federal Government in this? -Will outer space factor into the transportation of goods?

In this podcast British journalist and author Christina Lamb joins Sara Murray, Managing Director International to discuss what’s happening on the ground at the Polish-Ukraine border, how the war is unfolding and its consequences to families, especially women and children. Together they look at what’s currently not being told, and steps companies can take to ensure employees and their families are safe, as well as views on how this war will end. Lamb also discusses her award-winning book ‘Our Bodies, Their Battlefield: What War Does to Women’.

Journalists play a crucial role in exposing the tragedy of war. In a new podcast, Jerome Starkey, a broadcaster, author, and Defense Editor at The Sun, joins Sara Murray, Managing Director, International, from the front lines of the war in Ukraine. Starkey provides a first-hand description of what’s happening on the ground in Ukraine, from the challenges civilians are observing, their spirit/morale, whether humanitarian aid is getting though, Russia’s ultimate game plan, and what it takes to be a combat journalist.

How will the war in Ukraine impact rising commodity prices and key material shortages? Will Ukraine be able to provide its own people with basic necessities such as food, shelter and heat without Western intervention? How can the world help? In this podcast Dmytro Los, Head of the Board of the Ukrainian Business and Trade Association and Sara Murray, Managing Director, International for The Conference Board, discuss both the dire situation facing the Ukrainian people – and the threat to global commerce.

What is the difference between battlefield and strategic nuclear weapons? Are we underestimating the risk of chemical weapon attacks in Ukraine? Can the war spill outside the Ukraine border? In this podcast Hamish de Bretton Gordon, one of the world’s leading experts on nuclear, biological and chemical warfare, and Sara Murray, Managing Director, International for The Conference Board, discuss Russia’s military doctrine, China’s role in this conflict as well as what kind of contingency plans companies should put in place given the situation to help their staff in Ukraine.

How much do we expect inflation to increase in Europe following the Russian invasion of Ukraine? How are we revising our estimates for growth? How high can oil and gas prices go? In this podcast Ilaria Maselli, Klaas de Vries and Hiba Itani from The Conference Board discuss the economic implications of the war in Ukraine for the European economic outlook.