Poll: Wait-And-See Becoming Strategy No. 1 Amid Tariff Uncertainty
Nearly 60% of business leaders say their operations have already been significantly affected by new tariffs imposed by the Trump administration or by U.S. trade partners responding to those measures. More than a third say their operating costs have jumped by at least 10%.
Those are some of the main findings from a new survey conducted by Endeavor Business Intelligence, the research arm of IndustryWeek parent company Endeavor Business Media, of nearly 200 leaders from across the economy—with the manufacturing, automotive and construction sectors accounting for about two-thirds of respondents. Also noteworthy from the poll: The uncertainty stemming from tariffs and other trade disputes has led nearly four out of 10 leadership teams to avoid making major strategic actions but instead adopt a wait-and-see stance.
“More substantial shifts, like reshoring supply chains or investing in new capacity, remain rare at this early stage,” the EBI team said in a report.
More than one-third of survey respondents said they have raised prices to pass along cost increases. However, that figure is significantly below expectations that surfaced in a similar survey EBI conducted roughly six weeks ago. Another significant divergence from the April survey is that disruptions in supply chains appear to be more widespread than expected: 38% of business leaders said they are dealing with such upheavals, which is 16 points higher than the expectations of respondents to April’s survey.
To download the report detailing the survey’s results and takeaway, you can visit the EBI site.
