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RESEARCH REPORT

Pulse of Change

The Accenture Pulse of Change is a quarterly C-suite survey probing into how business, talent and technology trends are shaping and driving change. The latest survey was completed in September 2024.

5-MINUTE READ

November 20, 2024

Business outlook

An overwhelming majority of C-suite leaders expect revenue growth in 2025 – increasing 4% year over year

87%

expect growth of up to 5% or more from their global operations

40%

expect strong revenue growth (greater than 5%)

However, confidence on growth varies globally
  • C-suite leaders expecting their organizations to grow revenue in Europe has declined by 2 percentage points, while confidence in growing revenue in North America and Asia Pacific (APAC) increased by 5 and 2 percentage points, respectively

  • Overall, global optimism is still high: 87% of executives expect revenue growth from their operations in the coming year. 40% expect strong growth
% of CXOs expecting revenue growth in each of the following regions for the year ahead

Top Business Concerns for 2025

The ability to adapt to the pace of tech innovation – particularly AI – is the top concern for C-suite leaders. Talent issues rank among the lowest.
  • Nearly 40% ranked adapting to advancements in tech and innovation such as AI and automation as their TOP concern heading into 2025

  • Only 9% of C-suite leaders consider these talent issues – e.g., talent scarcity and adapting to workforce changes – of top concern heading into 2025
However, they are also worried about the capacity of their organizations to:
  • Protect against security issues e.g., increased cyberattacks and data breaches
  • Adapt to changing consumer values and purchasing behavior

The Accenture Pulse of Change is a quarterly‍‍‍‍‍‍ C-suite survey probing into how business, talent and technology trends are shaping and driving change. The latest survey was completed in September 2024.

Investment push in Gen AI

Heading into 2025, every organization plans to invest in AI tech in some way. Nearly all plan to make at least moderate investments.

52%

expect their investments to be significant

50%

expect to allocate more funds to gen AI specifically vs. traditional AI tech (e.g., systems designed to solve specific tasks)

0%

companies are planning zero investment in AI

C-suite views on gen AI benefiting their bottom line are fluid
  • Perceptions of gen AI as a "revenue grower" have increased 10%, (from 65% to 75%) vs. three months ago

  • Conversely, the percentage who view gen AI as more of a "cost reducer" has dropped by 10% (from 35% to 25%)

Deeper dive: cybersecurity

Looking to 2025, cybersecurity is the second most concerning issue
  • Yet only 3 in 10 consider cybersecurity their organization's most important priority
  • While malware and ransomware are primary worries, just 8% see deepfakes as a top threat
Yet 94% claim to be completely or moderately prepared to defend themselves – potentially driven by widespread training efforts
  • Only 6% of organizations have not implemented a form of cybersecurity training within their organization amid increased threats – such as phishing attacks or deepfakes

  • 57% claim that their cybersecurity training is extensive and across multiple areas of the business

Gen AI boosts recruitment and skilling

While talent issues – scarcity and adapting to workforce changes – rank among the least concerns
  • 69% plan to accelerate hiring due to gen AI heading into 2025

  • Only 15% plan to reduce recruitment efforts. Of the organizations that are accelerating, they are focusing overwhelmingly on senior and mid-level management roles

  • Focusing on acquiring talent and enhancing training and development programs ranks as the No. 3 driver of their tech investments
How prepared are organizations to defend against cybersecurity threats
In fact, nearly two-thirds claim to have trained at least half their workforce on using gen AI. Additionally, C-suite use of gen AI is on the rise.

rise to

67%

claim to be using these tools at least once per week in their professional activities

up from

43%

at the beginning of 2024

However, confidence and optimism about the tech are mixed
  • Only one-quarter expressed extreme confidence that their organization's training and upskilling programs match the pace at which emerging tech is advancing

  • Just over half believe their employees feel more optimistic than concerned about gen AI impacting their careers

Methodology

Accenture Pulse of Change probes C-suite leaders on the issues and technology that are driving change, how leaders are responding and their perspectives on the future. For the latest edition, Accenture Research conducted a survey of 2,800 C-suite executives across 18 countries and a variety of industries and functions. The survey data was collected between July 25 – September 4, 2024. The global sample has a margin of error of +/- 1.9%.

• Chief Executive Officer

• Chief Financial Officer

• Chief HR Officer

• Chief Marketing Officer

• Chief Sales/Customer Officer

• Chief Experience Officer

• Chief Operating/Supply Chain & Operations Officer

• Chief Production Officer/R&D lead

• Chief Strategy Officer

• Chief Innovation Officer

• Chief Technology Officer

• Chief Information Officer

• Chief Data/Analytics Officer

• Australia

• Brazil

• Canada 

• China 

• France 

• Germany 

• India 

• Ireland 

• Italy

• Japan

• Netherlands 

• Singapore

• South Africa

• Spain

• Sweden 

• Switzerland 

• United Kingdom

• United States

• Aerospace and Defense

• Airline, Travel, Transport

• Automotive

• Banking (Retail)

• Capital Markets (including Investment Banking)

• Chemicals 

• Communications, Media, and Entertainment

• Consumer Goods

• Energy 

• Health 

• High Technology

• Industrial Goods and Equipment

• Insurance 

• Life Sciences

• Natural Resources

• Public Service

• Retail 

• Software and Platforms

• Utilities

MARCH 2024 PULSE OF CHANGE