With the results of last year's presidential election in mind, the German American Chambers of Commerce, the Representative of German Industry and Trade, and Roland Berger Strategy Consultants conducted a survey among 1900 headquarters of German companies in the United States. Their findings were summed up in the German American Business Outlook 2017.

In terms of political development, 28% of the consulted businesses are expecting a negative impact, while 30% expect that the newly elected U.S. Administration’s economic policies will benefit their U.S. Business. 40% expect no impact at all. The good news is also that approximately 85% of participating businesses are planning to expand their workforce and hire further employees in 2017 - provided that they can find enough skilled workers. 69% percent of businesses encountered difficulties attracting skilled labor in 2016, with Manufacturing and Engineering being the most competitive sectors in that regard.
35% of companies plan to invest in IT & big data in 2017, and with 28% investment in Manufacturing continues to be positive as well.
Interestingly enough, most companies are more optimistic about their own business growth outlook than about the U.S. economy as a whole. After all, driven by customer demand, the U.S. market remains a key strategic focus for many German companies. For more information on the survey and a presentation of further results please see here: http://www.ahk-usa.com/gabo/

Posted by BridgehouseLaw Charlotte