Two-thirds of directors of Croatian companies believe that general economic conditions will worsen in the next six months, while one-fifth of them have a negative outlook on the future of their companies, making them the most pessimistic in the region, according to the survey “Indicator of Attitudes in the Business Sector” conducted by the consulting and auditing firm Deloitte in six Central European countries.
A significant increase in optimism in Croatia was recorded only regarding spending on capital goods (equipment, IT systems, new office buildings, etc.), with nearly half of the respondents stating that they will increase capital investments in the next six months, while only ten percent believe they will decrease them. Expectations regarding employment in the region and in Croatia remain negative. Forty-four percent of Croatian directors expect a reduction in the number of employees in their companies, while only seven percent plan to increase the number of employees.
Although their colleagues in the region expect an increase in sales revenue in the next six months, approximately three-quarters of directors of companies in Croatia believe that sales revenues will not change or will decrease. In Croatia, the results of the survey show that the assessment of the risk of non-collection of receivables has significantly worsened in the last nine months. Thus, more than three-quarters of directors in Croatian companies believe that it takes excessively long to collect receivables.
