Chicago Business Barometer™ & Research

Chicago Business Barometer^™ & Research

Monthly Survey - Chicago Business Barometer^™

The ISM Chicago Business Survey, is a regional view of the national economy; is a time-tested, market-moving report. The Chicago Report^™ is available to subscribers on the last working day each month. The Chicago Business Barometer^™ summarizes current Business Activity. The Barometer is considered to be a leading indicator of the U.S.A. economy.

For more than seven decades, the Chicago Business Barometer^™ has been providing leading insight on the U.S. economy. The Chicago Business Barometer^™ is delivered to subscribers via the MNI Chicago Report^™, a monthly report published by MNI Indicators that presents valuable information on the U.S. economic activity and a fresh look at current U.S. business conditions. The report consists of seven Business Activity indicators and three Buying Policy indicators that represent activity and preformance levels compared to the prior month.

Purchasing and Supply Management professionals in the Chicago area, primarily members of ISM Chicago, are polled to assess business conditions for their respective companies every month.

For more information about the Chicago Business Barometer^™ and MNI Indicators products, please contact martindanielb@yahoo.com.

Periodically, ISM Chicago may invite our members and community to participate in additional research.

November - Chicago Business Barometer^™

The Chicago Business Barometer^™ dropped 5.0 points to 41.6 in October after edging up for two consecutive months, making the barometer the lowest since May 2024, and 1.6 points below the year-to-date average.

The decline was due to four of the five subcomponents falling (Production, New Orderes, Order Backlogs and Employment), with only Supplier Deliveries rising in October.

October special question asked: "With changing market forces and technology advancements, how do you plan to invest in human talent in 2025?" Majority responded with Technology Skills sets 48.3%, New Hires with New Skill sets and Communications with Stakeholders (internally and externally) 17.2% each, People Skills 13.8%, with Cyber and Security Measures at 3.4%.

Released October 31, 2024.

How to identify and eliminate internal demons in supply chain management

Internal system errors and supply chain disruptions are a detriment most companys can't afford

Investing in AI, end-to-end enterprise resource solutions and the internet of things will help decrease supply chain issues related to processes, systems and data, writes data governance expert Abhishek Chaudhuri. These investments can "help companies merge traditional metrics like cycle times, inventory turnover, and on-time delivery with newer measures such as carbon footprint, data accessibility, data completeness, and analytics turnaround," writes Chaudhuri.

Full Story: Supply Chain Management Review (10/2)

Women in Supply Chain: Gartner Reveals Limited Progress

Gartner's ninth Women in Supply Chain survey uncovers a need for Chief Supply Chain Officers to recommit to goals, inclusive leadership and accountability

The number of organizations setting formal goals for increasing equity for women in supply chain leadership decreased by four percentage points in 2023, according to data from Gartner. Documenting goals is essential to progress, says Dana Stiffler, a Gartner vice president and distinguished analyst, along with more engagement by chief supply chain officers and an increased commitment to equitable compensation.

Full Story: Supply Chain Digital (9/16)

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