Executives surveyed by Veritude are optimistic about the economy in 2006, but they´re not especially confident about having the time and energy they´ll need to accomplish priorities within their organizations. Also, as headlines about companies like Enron and WorldCom fade from the front page, our survey respondents are much less interested this year than last in establishing corporate ethics programs.

• Pessimism about the economy is in short supply among business executives surveyed.
• The economy this year will be at least as good as it was last year, if not better, according to our survey panel.Fifty percent expect 2006 to be on a par with 2005 while 45 percent are more optimistic, looking forward to a stronger economy.

• If executives attached more importance to the strategic significance of outsourcing and the use of temporary labor, they could be better positioned to free themselves from more functionary tasks and focus more on their workforce development priorities. 

• Our respondents face a dilemma: They say they don´t have enough resources to focus on what is most important and spend too much time on what is less important. Survey respondents need more time to focus on retention, recruiting and training.

• Business as usual. Activities undertaken last year will continue at similar levels this year. When comparing initiatives performed in 2005 versus those planned for 2006, the biggest change revolves around the creation of corporate ethics programs - 40 percent of executives surveyed indicate their companies have been there, done that while 31 percent plan to set one up this year. The one activity that seems to be holding steady from year to year is the use of behavioral assessment tools.

• The primary focus of 2006 outsourcing initiatives is on getting background-checked, drug-free executives and temps in the door. 

Source: Workforce Data Insights is produced by Veritude and based on findings of a national survey of 119 executives (32% C-level and 32%-VP) representing a mix of public and private companies in 18 different industries. Veritude provides strategic human resources and serves clients throughout the U.S. and Canada. Headquartered in Boston with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Salt Lake and other locations, Veritude is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fidelity Investments. For more information about Workforce Data Insights, please visit www.veritude.com.