The majority of CEOs of the world's leading companies see that their employees will have to return to the office, according to the KPMG 2024 CEO Outlook study just released by the international audit firm.

One of the most important findings is that 83% of respondents anticipate a full return to the office in the next three years.

This trend coincides with the decision announced this week by Amazon, one of the world's largest technology companies, that all its employees will return to the office every day starting next January.

According to the KPMG survey, conducted among 1,325 senior executives from companies with sales of more than US$500 million worldwide, this indicator is much higher than the 64% who saw a return to the office as inevitable in the 2023 survey.

There is a significant generational gap in the results, because while 87% of executives aged 60-69 see a return to the office as necessary, among those aged 50-59 this indicator reaches 83%, and among those aged 40-49, just 75%. 

"This year’s findings highlight a widening gap between the expectations of CEOs and their employees. The world is changing at pace and the employee-value-proposition is changing with it. The successful leaders of tomorrow will be those who understand that their talent dilemma can only be solved by investing in, nurturing and supporting talent through a ‘social contract’ that understands today’s employees don’t just desire, but expect a more agile, flexible working environment and a better work-life balance – especially in the midst of a pervasive cost of living crisis." explained Nhlamu Dlomu, Global Head of People at KPMG International in the report.

More jobs and more AI

The positive news is that 93% of the CEOs consulted see a growth in payroll for the next 3 years, which coincides with a generalized optimism in the global economic situation for the following terms.

The study also consulted executives about the future of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its impact on workers. Here the results are also positive, as the study highlights that despite all the concerns about the implementation of this technology, 76% of the CEOs see that there will be no job losses in the implementation of AI-based solutions.

There is still a warning sign because it will require an effort in training and re-adaptation to the new contexts dominated by language models: only 38% of CEOs believed that their employees had the right skills to work hand in hand with machines, while 58% believed that "58 percent agree that the integration of generative AI has made them rethink the skills required for entry-level roles," the document explains.

“When KPMG first launched CEO Outlook ten years ago, AI technologies simply weren’t something people were talking about. Fast forward to today, and it’s now front and center for business leaders, with workforces eager to embrace the seemingly endless possibilities the technology creates. While I’m encouraged that the CEOs surveyed are taking AI so seriously and investing in innovation and technology, it’s important that the rush to adopt doesn’t come at the cost of genuine, ethical and transformative implementation,” explicó David Rowlands, Global Head of AI, KPMG International.

KPMG's CEO Outlook completed 10 years in 2024. On this occasion, 1,325 CEOs were surveyed between July 25 and August 29, 2024. According to the company, all respondents have annual revenues above US$500 million and one-third of the companies surveyed have more than US$10 billion in annual revenues.

The study includes the views of executives operating in 11 markets (Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Spain, United Kingdom, United States and United Kingdom) and 11 key industry sectors: asset management, automotive, banking, consumer and retail, energy, infrastructure, insurance, life sciences, manufacturing, technology and telecommunications.