Swiss SMEs see rising energy costs as the biggest risk to their business activities in the coming winter months. While the majority of companies are comfortable with the challenges of the “crisis winter,” more than a third consider the likelihood of operational constraints to be “high” or “fairly high,” according to a survey released Sunday by the YouGov institute SME sales platform Visable.
Specifically, 36 percent of companies surveyed cite rising energy costs as their biggest problem area for the coming winter. 30 percent of respondents feared rising prices for raw materials and preliminary products. Supply chain issues are only slightly less weighted (28 percent).
Corona continues to be a risk factor
Inflation is also called a lagging risk (26 inflation). Corona is still a risk factor that needs to be taken seriously: According to the Communiqué, 23 percent of SMEs expect their staff to be absent this winter due to illness and quarantine.
22 percent of respondents also cited a shortage of skilled workers and a possible drop in demand as problem areas. War sanctions (7 percent) and lack of digitization (5 percent) are seen as the lowest risks.
Earn while diving
At least 22 percent of SMEs said they expect their profits to fall slightly in 2022 compared to the previous year, while 6 percent expect profits to fall sharply. According to the announcement made in mid-October, 207 executives from Swiss SMEs were interviewed for the survey. (SDA/pbe)