The results for the Netherlands show that Austrian investors experienced a mixed 12 months, with only 13% of surveyed companies reporting an improvement compared to the previous year.
The majority of the companies surveyed are sales branches, but manufacturing companies and service providers also shared their views on location and the economic situation in the survey.
Key business indicators such as turnover, orders and capacity utilisation are very different for the majority of companies surveyed. However, for most companies, this did not affect the number of employees or investment volume. Most companies expect a positive trend in turnover and orders for the coming year.
The survey highlights both the strengths and challenges of the Netherlands as a business location. Austrian companies surveyed cited the quality and availability of local suppliers, strong quality awareness, government support and legal certainty as positive factors. At the same time, companies see challenges in high labour costs, limited availability of qualified staff and rising raw material prices.
When asked how they assessed current geopolitical uncertainties, many companies indicated that the war between Russia and Ukraine, increasing protectionism and the increased use of economic sanctions were the biggest potential risks to their business activities.
Overall, the survey shows that participating Austrian companies in the Netherlands are cautiously optimistic about the future, despite the current difficult economic climate.
