For CMOs in the US, the biggest potential challenge to growth this year will be talent and labor issues, cited by 42.6% of those executives. The next biggest headwinds they anticipate are supply chain issues (29.6%) and inflation (24.5%). Two years into the pandemic, just 5.8% expect new coronavirus measures to hinder growth.
Beyond the chart: Though CMOs’ top concerns do not explicitly involve COVID-19, the pandemic is certainly exacerbating those problems. The number of US employees voluntarily quitting their jobs hit a 20-year high in November 2021, as essential and remote workers alike faced burnout and re-evaluated their professional lives. Quit rates remained above pre-pandemic levels as of February, and supply chain issues rage on as many parts of China are under lockdown. While COVID-19 rules are easing stateside, pandemic-induced stumbling blocks remain at the forefront of CMOs’ minds.