ABCs of ESG
A new survey conducted by the Iowa-based company Workiva, along with marketing firm Ascend2 and Professor Alex Edmands of the London Business School, takes a close look at the impact of environmental, social and governance (ESG) reporting on the operations of companies worldwide.
“For us to bring discipline and credibility to ESG, business leaders must be prepared to apply an economic lens to ESG initiatives,” Edmands said. “By the same token, investors must accept that economic principles do not always fit neatly into business operations.”
The survey’s key findings included:
$189 billion
Current annual spending on manufacturing construction nationwide, which is triple the spending of 2010
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
8.3%
The percentage of Americans currently employed in manufacturing, an all-time low since the statistic started being tracked in 1939
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
5.5%
The share of total employment in high-income countries exposed to the automating effects of generative AI, compared to only 0.4% in low-income countries. Clerical jobs, which are disproportionately held by women, are most likely to be affected.
Source: United Nations International Labor Organization
$79,000
The current average wage floor for American workers — meaning the lowest pay they would take to accept a new job, according to a new survey from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The number is a record high and is up from $69,000 in July 2021.
Source: Bloomberg
Correction
The “By the Numbers” section of our July issue included a summary of the Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce Foundation’s June 2023 report, “Wisconsin’s Demographic Dilemma.” The bullet point on page 23 of the July issue stating “The state’s population shrank 10.1% from 2010 to 2020” omitted three important words that significantly change the meaning: “under age 5.” The population of youngest Wisconsinites shrank 10.1% during that 10-year period; the overall population of Wisconsin actually grew modestly between 2010 and 2020, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. The original WMC report is correct, and IOM sincerely regrets the error.
