Australia stands out as an island of calm amid the global economic storm despite pessimistic government and media responses, an international business confidence survey shows.
Australia stands out as an island of calm amid the global economic storm despite pessimistic government and media responses, an international business confidence survey shows.
One in five international businesspeople cited Australia as the country best surviving the recession in a survey of 7,500 people in more than 24 nations.
Australia placed first in the survey, ahead of China, with India and Singapore in equal third place. New Zealand also fared well, ranked ninth.
The survey conducted in April was aimed at gauging business sentiment and what impact the economic downturn has had on businesses globally.
Australian businesspeople appeared relatively unaffected, according to the poll conducted for Servcorp, a provider of virtual and serviced offices that operates in 61 nations.
"In my experience working with international businesses around the world, especially during the last six months, I've noticed how relatively unaffected (are) Australian businesses and... business persons' attitude by the economic downturn," Servcorp executive director Taine Moufarrige said.
"Over 71 per cent of Australian businesspeople believe we are the lucky country, and it's interesting to see that the rest of the world agrees."
Pessimistic media reports were the number one concern among Australian businesses, the survey found.
More than 25 per cent of Australian businesspeople also said they were worried about the way the government responded to the global financial crisis.
"I think the doom and gloom reports that Australians hear every day are harmful to Australian businesses and hold them back from seeing the opportunities that are present in the current economic climate," Mr Moufarrige said.
"This is a time when Australian business confidence needs to be supported and encouraged in the media and by the Australia government."
The announcement is below:
One in five international businesspeople believe Australia is the best 'place to be' during the economic crisis according to the Servcorp International Business Confidence Survey released today.
As part of the survey, Servcorp asked 7,500 international businesspeople from more than 24 nations to identify which countries they believe are surviving the crisis the best. Australia emerged as the clear leader, with 20% of all international businesspeople citing it as the country that is surviving best, well ahead of its nearest competitors.
The survey was commissioned to understand the current mood, business morale and impact the economic downturn has had on businesses around the world.
Taine Moufarrige, Servcorp Executive Director says: "In my experience working with international businesses around the world, especially during the last six months, I've noticed how relatively unaffected Australian businesses and the Australian businessperson's attitude by the economic downturn.
Over 71% of Australian businesspeople believe we are the "lucky country" and it's interesting to see that the rest of the world agrees."
Surprisingly, Australian businesspeople are more worried about the low morale levels in the media than the dismal world economy, with the survey revealing this is the number one concern for Australian businesses in the current economic climate.
Over 25% of Australian businesspeople also cited the way the Australian Government responded to the crisis as a concern for their business.
"I think the doom and gloom reports that Australians hear every day are harmful to Australian businesses and holds them back from seeing the opportunities that are present in the current economic climate. This is a time when Australian business confidence needs to be supported and encouraged in the media and by the Australian Government.
"What the survey reveals is that despite the global economy giving the world a hard knock, Australian businesses remain in good shape and should emerge from the global economic crisis even stronger than before," Mr. Moufarrige continued.
Other countries in the top 10 of the survey include, in order, China, India-Singapore, Hong Kong, Canada, Japan-Qatar, New Zealand and Malaysia-Sweden-Vietnam.
