Training of employees is a priority investment for 90% of companies – despite uncertainties

Deloitte’s “Agenda 2022” survey – supported by Aberje – mapped the expectations and priorities of business leaders for the Brazilian business environment with almost 500 organizations, which together earn the equivalent of 35% of the national GDP

Deloitte launched the survey “Agenda 2022” in an online event, which had institutional support from Aberje. At the opening of the live session, Deloitte’s Market Development leader, João Gumiero, stressed that the objective of the study was to raise the priorities and expectations of business leaders for the Brazilian business environment by collecting responses from about 500 organizations that together earn the equivalent of 35% of the domestic GDP. The research results were presented by Giovanni Cordeiro, an economist at Deloitte and technical responsible for the survey, followed by three discussion panels.

Movements for the advancement of ESG

In the digital age, communication has been increasingly important in developing corporate governance processes regarding the expansion of social impact issues – but not all organizations work with communication with the total possible potential. This is the professor’s opinion at Aberje School and representative of Aberje in the executive secretariat of the Platforma Ação of the Brazilian Network of the Global Pact, Natália Tamura. She was part of the “Movements for the Advancement of ESG and Corporate Governance.”

In her view, one of the significant discussions is when there is no distinction between what is discourse, when it is focused on sustainability, and what is narrative. “Discourses are constituted by meanings; they are collective positions. It is common to see eloquent speeches in the market, but they often do not reflect what the company has as a narrative because the narrative requires the company to put itself in that time and space,” she said.

Main concerns and priorities of the Brazilian business community

The Deloitte survey shows that most companies believe that economic activity in the country in 2022 will have stable or weak performance. The evolution of the electoral movements in the political scenario bringing volatility to the market is the primary concern of the Brazilian business community throughout the year (68%); and also political instabilities (65%); inflation above 5% (61%) and high interest rates (50%).

According to the survey, in economic terms, the government can help by stimulating job creation and keeping the inflation target below 5%; in terms of entrepreneurship, support and incentives for SMEs and digital transformation in the country and, in terms of social impact, the research shows that education appears as a challenge for companies in the search for qualified professionals, in addition to health and public security.

According to Deloitte’s survey, most companies must maintain or increase investments in technology and the training of professionals to respond to the digital transformation and guarantee the sustainability of the business.

In this sense, 96% of companies intend to invest in applications, systems, and management tools, as well as in infrastructure; 95% in data management and digital security, as well as investing in customer marketing (81%), customer service (78%) and online sales channels (71%). “If the company does not have a mature level of digital security, of protection, this will prevent it from expanding technology investments in other areas,” she said.