Indications – Details, episodes & analysis

With 163 million employed workers, employment in the Euro Area has reached record-high levels in Q2 2022. Although hiring expectations are on a downward trend since March across all industries, the labor market is currently incredibly tight. Marion Devine, Associate Director for Insights on Human Capital, and Bettina Schaller, Senior Vice President Public Affairs for Adecco, and President of the World Employment Confederation discuss with Conference Board Ilaria Maselli how companies can improve the mental and financial wellbeing of workers, how demographic change is transforming the labor force, and how Gen-Z will change the way we work.

Despite having more than doubled since 2010, renewable energy makes up less than 20 percent in the US’ electricity mix.  In this podcast episode, chief economist Dana Peterson discusses with senior economists Alex Heil and Erin McLaughlin the trends in the energy sector and how those affect businesses and households. They cover the uneven playing field in various states in the US, the costs of renewables and battery technologies, potential obstacles to a greater adoption of renewables, and what role federal and local policies play.

You can find our report, Renewable Sources, here: https://www.conference-board.org/topics/tags.cfm?parent=energy-global-growth&child=State-of-Renewable-Energy-2022

A new podcast by The Conference Board unpacks the war in Ukraine’s implications for global energy markets and prices. In the conversation, Robin Mills, CEO at Qamar Energy, and Hiba Itani, Economist at The Conference Board, discuss the risks of embargos on Russian oil, along with which economies might be able to ramp up supplies and when. They also cover what governments can do to help support businesses, consumers, and vulnerable economies from the repercussions of surging oil prices.

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index® increased in March 2022. While the highest recorded figure of consumers say jobs are plentiful, their expectations declined.

Join this podcast with Conference Board Chief Economist Dana Peterson and Lynn Franco, Senior Director of Economic Indicators as they discuss key drivers of these expectations, how consumers can be more optimistic going forward, and what makes The Conference Board survey different from others that are showing a weakening in consumer confidence.

Finance is playing a central role in the conflict between Russia and the Ukraine. From sanctions to crypto assets, we discuss how governments are using access to the global financial system to pressure an end to the violence and human suffering. Moreover, how Russia is finding alternatives to traditional finance. We also explore how businesses can protect themselves from financial exposure amid the ongoing crisis.

By listening to this podcast you will:

• Understand how governments are using finance to address the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
• Learn about financial sanctions and how are they affecting markets and business operations.
• Discover the importance of alternatives to SWIFT and traditional credit, plus crypto assets amid the war.
• Garner insights on financial risks to businesses affected by the crisis and how to respond.

Why does the West continue to misunderstand Russia’s drive? What is China’s role, and what does their unlimited friendship really mean? What do organizations need to be doing in terms of business continuity plans, in the event of a Russian cyber operation attack? In this podcast Sara Murray, Managing Director, International of The Conference Board is joined in by guest, Keir Giles to explore these issues.

Giles is a British writer and expert on security issues affecting Russia, and on the armed forces of the Russian Federation. He is a senior consulting fellow of the Russia and Eurasia programme at Chatham House and a Research Director with the Conflict Studies Research Centre. 

“We always made it seem like magic. Things just showed up – you had what you need” says Rear Admiral John Polowczyk in this episode of our Indicatiions podcast. In a compelling discussion with Chief Economist Dana Peterson, the Rear Admiral, who has a long history of supply chain management at the top levels of military and government, discusses how and why the COVID pandemic disrupted the delivery of goods. This episode was recorded before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but still contains pertinent information for companies as they struggle with even further shocks to the global supply chain.

In this second part of our podcast series, produced in partnership with EY, you can listen to the conversation and learn:

-Why companies’ approach to a lean supply chain and “just in time” inventory was a critical factor in the disruption of the system

-What changes will need to be made to create more resilient supply chains, and why will it be so difficult to fix?

-What is the role of the Federal Government in this?

-Will outer space factor into the transportation of goods?

In this podcast British journalist and author Christina Lamb joins Sara Murray, Managing Director International to discuss what’s happening on the ground at the Polish-Ukraine border, how the war is unfolding and its consequences to families, especially women and children.

Together they look at what’s currently not being told, and steps companies can take to ensure employees and their families are safe, as well as views on how this war will end. 

Lamb also discusses her award-winning book ‘Our Bodies, Their Battlefield: What War Does to Women’.

Journalists play a crucial role in exposing the tragedy of war. In a new podcast, Jerome Starkey, a broadcaster, author, and Defense Editor at The Sun, joins Sara Murray, Managing Director, International, from the front lines of the war in Ukraine. Starkey provides a first-hand description of what’s happening on the ground in Ukraine, from the challenges civilians are observing, their spirit/morale, whether humanitarian aid is getting though, Russia’s ultimate game plan, and what it takes to be a combat journalist. 

In this podcast Dmytro Los, Head of the Board of the Ukrainian Business and Trade Association and Sara Murray, Managing Director, International for The Conference Board, discuss both the dire situation facing the Ukrainian people – and the threat to global commerce.