Over 60% of CEOs cautiously optimistic on growth – survey

MANILA, Philippines — Over 60 percent of Philippine chief executive officers (CEOs) are cautiously optimistic for 2025 amid risks in the domestic market and external environment, according to a survey from Ernst and Young.

The EY CEO Outlook Survey, which covered top executives from leading companies in the Philippines, showed that 62 percent of CEOs in the country have a cautious outlook for 2025.

Noel Rabaja, SGV & Co. head of strategy and transaction services told reporters yesterday that Philippine firms are cautiously optimistic given “inflationary pressures that remain to be here in the local environment.”

“Aside from that, it’s really the global uncertainties that we continue to experience, especially now, given the recent news on global trade,” he said.

SGV & Co. is a member of EY Global Ltd.

Global headwinds are expected to pose risks given the Philippine economy’s dependence on imported key commodities and its revenue streams such as business process outsourcing and overseas Filipino workers’ remittances that are linked to external markets.

Amid the cautious optimism for 2025, Philippine CEOs see the need to take action particularly, by investing in new opportunities and accelerating technology adoption.

In particular, 86 percent of Philippine CEOs are prioritizing investments for operational efficiency and growth through joint ventures or mergers and acquisitions, while 82 percent are investing to maximize existing technology.

To achieve continuous growth amid global uncertainties, the survey showed that Philippine businesses are embracing transformation.

In terms of priority transformation outcomes for this year, 50 percent of CEOs cited maintaining strong customer relations.

Other priority transformation outcomes are enhancing product offerings (46 percent), employee retention (42 percent) and optimizing operations (40 percent).

The survey also showed that 62 percent of CEOs anticipate external interferences from growing interconnectedness of global markets to impact their transformation agendas.

Among the challenges that CEOs foresee for this year are supply chain disruptions, global market volatility and regulatory changes.

“Additionally, there is growing pressure to adopt and comply with sustainability-related practices as regulations continue to evolve,” the survey said.

To improve the execution of transformation initiatives, 60 percent of Philippine CEOs see the need to build resiliency.