More than a quarter of companies affected by insufficient demand
At the end of the 2nd quarter of 2024, Liechtenstein's industrial and service companies largely assessed the general situation as satisfactory. The business situation, profitability and headcount were largely stable in the second quarter of 2024. The dominant issue is the shortage of labor, which has now been replaced by insufficient demand as the primary obstacle to production and performance. A total of 28% of the companies surveyed report being affected by insufficient demand and 23% by a shortage of workers. Insufficient demand as an obstacle to performance is particularly widespread among service companies and affects 43% of companies.
The business situation and profitability are expected to remain unchanged in the 3rd quarter. Staffing levels are also expected to remain the same. Industrial and service companies are largely unanimous in their stable forecast. However, there are certain differences within the sectors. While the metal industry is not expecting any major changes for the third quarter of 2024, the non-metal industry and the construction sector are more confident. Within the services sector, banks and insurance companies in particular are optimistic about the third quarter of 2024, while companies in the retail and general services sectors are more cautious.Economic Survey