You don't want to miss these business trends
Merel Nijland
Introduction
After the coronavirus pandemic, the Dutch economy recovered rapidly, but whether we were ready for that is another story. We are struggling with staff shortages, material scarcity, sky-high energy costs and rising interest rates for both consumers and companies. In 2023, the economy is expected to grow somewhat slower, which may involve some uncertainties. Do you want to keep growing with your company in 2023? Read on to find out how to do that.
Stop missing out on sales due to inventory problems
In the Netherlands, we managed to keep inflation low for years, but this has changed since the end of 2021. We are now getting tired of inflation, all you have to do is open a news site or take the newspaper off the mat and it's about high energy prices and expensive groceries. This is also not expected to decrease in 2023. Perhaps this increase will even continue.
What is less often talked about are rising material costs, such as in construction or the rising agricultural costs that are passed on to restaurant owners and ultimately consumers. Let this be exactly what you can easily finance with a Swishfund business loan. Here you can find your apply for a business loan.
Employers are making more effort to retain staff
The labor market is tighter than ever. There are more vacancies than job seekers. Many employers are struggling to find staff. Nevertheless, unemployment is expected to increase slightly in 2023.
Better employment conditions and higher wages can help you find staff. This is not only attractive, but also necessary given the uncertain market we are in. Offering a higher salary is not for every company, because higher pay means higher wage costs. Especially now that the economy is expected to grow slower in 2023, this is available to fewer and fewer companies and it is becoming difficult for them to compete with other open vacancies.
This will therefore ensure that the number of open vacancies will fall. Where we now have 121 vacancies against 100 job seekers, the question is how long this will take.
Open vacancies usually equal an increasing workload for current staff. That is why in 2023, be more attentive to the happiness and vitality of your employees. Absenteeism is often a larger cost with many consequences for the staff present than hiring a personal trainer, a business coach or offering a chair massage or monthly yoga class.
Invest in digital safety
According to credit insurer Atradius, the Netherlands is likely to experience a significant growth in bankruptcies in 2023. This is a clear result of the economic struggle that the Netherlands has experienced over the past two years. Now that government support has been stopped, many companies that were fed up with support will fall. Despite the large increase, Atradius would like to emphasize that the number of bankruptcies is still significantly lower than the peak we had in 2013.
In periods of uncertainty, fraud increases; when people are in need of money, despair increases. This ultimately leads to more fraud for both companies and consumers, compared to better economic times. This increase will therefore ensure that there will be more demand for protection against fraud in the coming year. If you want to grow your business, digital security is essential. As a result, customers and suppliers know that they can do business with you safely, so you not only retain your current customers, but you also attract new customers with the same values.
Do you want to grow with your company?
Are you going to invest in inventory this year, do you want to keep your employees healthy and vital, or are you going to invest in digital safety? With the business business loan Swishfund can do it all. Within 2 minutes requested.
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