Latest news with #BusinessRoundtable
Fast Company
4 days ago
- Business
- Fast Company
Urgency is a strategy
Across industries, caution is rising. CEOs are slowing down major strategies—from hiring to investment—as uncertainty grows. The Business Roundtable's CEO Outlook Index recently dropped to its lowest level since 2020, reflecting widespread hesitation amid global volatility. It's understandable. When the path ahead is unclear, the instinct is to pause. To wait. Companies, institutions, governments, and philanthropists alike are reassessing their strategies as volatility becomes the new norm. Most leaders are focused on the challenges closest to home—in their industries, portfolios, and internal priorities. But the reality is: We don't live or work in silos. We live in a global market. And across every corner of that market, the signals are clear: growing caution, slower decision making, and heightened risk awareness. At UNICEF USA, where I lead private sector fundraising, we are squarely in the middle of that tension. We're seeing these trends play out in real time—in boardrooms, in proposal reviews, in budget meetings. As we work to meet escalating needs for children around the world, there is a slowdown. But this is also a moment that demands urgency and trust. It also demands innovation. And like many of our partners, we're rethinking what it takes to deliver meaningful, sustained impact in a rapidly shifting landscape. Hesitation is understandable—but costly We hear it from donors and partners all the time: 'We're recalibrating.' The global environment is unpredictable. Economic headwinds and geopolitical unrest have created a pause in decision making across industries—and philanthropy is no exception. Even committed supporters are questioning whether now is the time to lean in or wait for more clarity. But here's the problem: While strategy resets may make sense at the institutional level, the needs on the ground aren't pausing. For a child living through conflict in Sudan, a mother navigating floods in Bangladesh, or a newborn in Guatemala in need of basic care, delays have consequences. The cost of hesitation is measured in lives, in futures, in lost momentum. At UNICEF, we can't stop in the face of uncertainty, and we don't. We double down. It's how we work. Because every delay risks compounding the damage. We need to be clear-eyed about what happens if global investment slows. Weakening humanitarian and development funding doesn't just affect the children we serve—it reverberates across markets and industries. Rising conflict, destabilized supply chains, currency volatility, and workforce readiness aren't distant risks. They're business realities. There is a moral imperative to act. But there is also a business imperative. If we want a more stable, equitable future—for everyone—we must invest in the systems that create it. Slowing our response now won't bring stability. It will deepen inequality and delay recovery. Collaborate to meet the moment One thing is clear: Delivering impact at scale requires collaboration. We've always worked across governments, corporations, civil society, and communities—but in today's environment, the strength of those partnerships matters more than ever. Trust and alignment aren't soft values; they are strategic necessities. We're seeing powerful examples of what this can look like. Corporations that are embracing flexibility. Donors who are willing to have hard, honest conversations. Foundation leaders moving toward sustained, trust-based relationships that prioritize long-term outcomes over short-term metrics. Through support of the Eli Lilly and Company Foundation (Lilly Foundation), we will be able to not only deliver results, but accelerate change. Its recent commitment to UNICEF USA is focused on delivering and strengthening maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health in low- and middle-income countries by expanding prevention and care of noncommunicable diseases. We work to build trust with regular progress updates that demonstrate tangible results on this shared objective. Innovation with real stakes Innovation means different things to different people. At UNICEF, it's not about novelty—it's about meeting the moment by improving how we work and how we deliver. In a world of rising complexity, innovation is how we adapt—operationally, strategically, and systemically. Whether it's working with OpenAI to use generative AI to improve education outcomes, to pilot financing models to increase climate resilience, or scaling health solutions across fragile systems, we're focused on innovations that improve delivery and drive measurable outcomes. Not pilot projects for their own sake, but solutions that meet urgent needs and adapt to changing realities. Progress is not theoretical—it's measurable. Since 1990, the number of children under five dying from preventable causes has dropped by more than 60%. That's proof that when the world acts with urgency and coordination, we can change the trajectory for an entire generation. Progress is not theoretical—it's also human. Imagine a five-year-old child you love. Maybe they're starting school, asking endless questions, or learning to swim. Now imagine that same child—feverish and weak from something easily treatable. You're holding them in your arms to comfort them. You know what they need. The medicine exists. The clean water exists. But you can't get it. That's the crushing reality facing millions of families every day. Not because we lack simple, affordable, and preventable solutions—like vaccines, treatments for diarrhea and pneumonia, or ready-to-use therapeutic food for severe acute malnutrition —but because access breaks down when systems are underfunded, fractured, or forgotten. What's at stake for all of us This is a moment to lead with urgency. To move with clarity, not caution.
New York Times
04-07-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Filling Jobs, and Bridging the Blue-Collar Gap
To the Editor: 'Revive Manufacturing? Factories Can't Fill Jobs Now' (Business, June 25) rightly highlights the demographic and cultural forces driving the shrinking pipeline of skilled workers. But too much of the conversation frames employers as passive recipients of talent, rather than active participants in developing it. Employers must move from a just-in-time approach to talent to a long-term investment strategy — starting with youth apprenticeship and other forms of work-based learning. The workplace must become an extension of the classroom, where students earn while they learn and build the skills that today's economy demands. It's encouraging to see coordinated leadership from the Business Roundtable and efforts like the Workforce Partnership Initiative. But we need more, especially as work force and education programs face potential federal cuts. Thousands of employers nationwide must follow suit — designing youth apprenticeships, partnering with schools and embedding learning into the job itself. If we want more young people to see a future in manufacturing, we need more employers to show them what it looks like — on the job, starting now. John LaddWashingtonThe writer is a senior adviser at the nonprofit Jobs for the Future and a former administrator at the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Apprenticeship. To the Editor: Farah Stockman's article about manufacturing work-force challenges examined manufacturers' struggles finding skilled workers. One recent Trump administration decision eliminates a promising tool to address this challenge. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
RNZ News
03-07-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
The winners and losers of Trump's ‘big, beautiful bill'
By Matt Egan and Tami Luhby , CNN President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on 26 March. Photo: Francis Chung/Politico/Getty Images via CNN Newsource Analysis - President Donald Trump has promised that the "big, beautiful bill" passed by Congress will be one of the most successful pieces of legislation in American history. Of course, the ultimate beauty of this sweeping legislation is very much in the eye of the beholder. The bill could end up boosting some workers and industries, while others may be left worse off. Corporate America Big business groups, including the US Chamber of Commerce and Business Roundtable, applauded the Senate's passage of the bill on Tuesday. Corporations are betting they will benefit from the legislation making permanent the tax breaks in the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. The package would restore a tax break from the 2017 tax package that allowed businesses to fully write off the cost of equipment in the first year it was purchased. The incentive has been phasing out since 2023. Also, the legislation would once again allow businesses to write off the cost of research and development in the year it was incurred. The TCJA required that companies deduct those expenses over five years, starting in 2022. Manufacturers Manufacturers are especially happy that the bill would make significant changes to how the US tax code treats the construction of new manufacturing facilities. Businesses will be allowed to fully and immediately deduct the cost of building new manufacturing facilities. This temporary provision is retroactive to 19 January, 2025 and continues for construction that begins before 1 January, 2029. And in a bid to incentivise more chipmaking in America, the legislation would enhance tax credits for semiconductor firms building manufacturing facilities in the United States. Small businesses and partnerships The National Federation of Independent Business, the leading small business lobbying group, praised the legislation for making permanent a special deduction for the owners of certain pass-through entities who pay businesses taxes on their individual tax returns. That deduction, which applies to small businesses and partnerships formed by lawyers, doctors and investors, would get increased in the House version of the bill from 20 percent to 23 percent. The Senate bill kept it at 20 percent. High-income Americans The net income for the top 20 percent of earners would increase by nearly US$13,000 per year, after taxes and transfers, according to an analysis of a near-final version of the Senate bill by Penn Wharton Budget Model. That amounts to a 3 percent average increase in income for those households. For the top 0.1 percent of earners, the average annual income gain would amount to more than US$290,000, according to Penn Wharton. Americans living in high-tax states should also benefit because the bill temporarily increases limits on deductions for state and local taxes for householders making up to US$500,000 annually to US$40,000 per year for five years. However, millionaires who lose their jobs will not be able to collect unemployment benefits, according to a recent provision added to the Senate bill. Workers who receive tips and overtime Certain workers will receive an extra tax break through 2028. Employees who work in jobs that traditionally receive tips could deduct up to US$25,000 in tip income from their federal income taxes, while workers who receive overtime could deduct up to US$12,500 of that extra pay. However, highly compensated individuals, who make more than US$160,000 in 2025, would not qualify. Low-income Americans Many people at the lowest end of the income ladder would be worse off because the package would enact historic cuts to the nation's safety net program, particularly Medicaid and food stamps. Among the many changes to these programs would be the addition of federally mandated work requirements to Medicaid for the first time in its 60-year history and the expansion of the work mandate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, the formal name for food stamps. Parents of children ages 14 and up are among those who would have to work, volunteer, take classes or participate in job training to keep their benefits. Millions of low-income Americans are expected to lose their benefits because of the work requirements and the bill's other measures affecting Medicaid and food stamps. Notably, few of those dropped from Medicaid coverage would have access to job-based health insurance, according to a Congressional Budget Office report about the House version of the package. Those in the lowest-income group, earning less than US$18,000 a year, would see a US$165 reduction in their after-tax, after-transfer income, once the safety net cuts are taken into account, according to Penn Wharton. That's a 1.1 percent decrease. The next level, who earn between US$18,000 and US$53,000, would get a US$30 bump in income, or 0.1 percent. Middle-income households would see their income rise by US$1.430, or 1.8 percent. They earn between US$53,000 and US$96,000. The health provisions won't only hit low-income Americans. The Senate is also tightening verification requirements for the Affordable Care Act's federal premium subsidies, which could also leave some middle-income Americans uninsured. All told, the bill could result in more than 10 million more people being uninsured in 2034, according to a CNN analysis of the bill and CBO forecasts. Hospitals Hospitals are not happy with the health care provisions of the bill, which would reduce the support they receive from states to care for Medicaid enrollees and leave them with more uncompensated care costs for treating uninsured patients. "The real-life consequences of these nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts - the largest ever proposed by Congress - will result in irreparable harm to our health care system, reducing access to care for all Americans and severely undermining the ability of hospitals and health systems to care for our most vulnerable patients," said Rick Pollack, chief executive of the American Hospital Association. The association said it is "deeply disappointed" with the bill, even though it contains a US$50 billion fund to help rural hospitals contend with the Medicaid cuts, which hospitals say is not nearly enough to make up for the shortfall. Clean energy and EVs The Senate removed a last-minute excise tax on wind and solar that experts warned would have been a "killer" for the clean energy industry. However, the Senate bill still strips tax incentives for wind, solar and other renewable energy projects by 2027 and gives developers stringent requirements to claim them. The American Clean Power Association slammed the legislation as a "step backward for American energy policy" that will eliminate jobs and raise electric bills. Electric vehicle makers could also be left worse off because the GOP bill ends EV tax credits of up to US$7500 at the end of September. Previously those tax credits were scheduled to last through 2032, providing a powerful incentive for car buyers. Deficit hawks The Senate version of the package would increase the deficit by about US$3.4 trillion over the next decade, according to CBO. Adding trillions to the debt risks lifting already elevated interest rates. That in turn will make it more expensive for Americans to finance the purchase of a car or a home and for businesses to borrow money to grow. Not only that, but higher rates would force the federal government to devote even greater resources to finance its own mountain of debt. The CBO expects US federal government interest costs to surpass US$1 trillion per year. US spending on interest has already more than tripled since 2017, surpassing what the federal government's entire defense budget. - CNN
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Here's who stands to gain from the ‘big, beautiful bill.' And who may struggle
President Donald Trump has promised that the 'big, beautiful bill' passed by the Senate and being considered by the House of Representatives will be one of the most successful pieces of legislation in American history. Of course, the ultimate beauty of this sweeping legislation is very much in the eye of the beholder. The bill could end up boosting some workers and industries, while others may be left worse off. Corporate America Big business groups, including the US Chamber of Commerce and Business Roundtable, applauded the Senate's passage of the bill on Tuesday. Corporations are betting they will benefit from the legislation making permanent the tax breaks in the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Manufacturers Manufacturers are especially happy that the bill would make significant changes to how the US tax code treats the construction of new manufacturing facilities. If the bill passes, businesses would be allowed to fully and immediately deduct the cost of building new manufacturing facilities. This temporary provision is retroactive to January 19, 2025 and continues for construction that begins before January 1, 2029. And in a bid to incentivize more chipmaking in America, the legislation would enhance tax credits for semiconductor firms building manufacturing facilities in the United States. Small businesses and partnerships The National Federation of Independent Business, the leading small business lobbying group, praised the legislation for making permanent a special deduction for the owners of certain pass-through entities who pay businesses taxes on their individual tax returns. That deduction, which applies to small businesses and partnerships formed by lawyers, doctors and investors, would get increased in the House version of the bill from 20% to 23%. The Senate bill kept it at 20%. High-income Americans The net income for the top 20% of earners would increase by nearly $13,000 per year, after taxes and transfers, according to an analysis of a near-final version of the Senate bill by Penn Wharton Budget Model. That amounts to a 3% average increase in income for those households. For the top 0.1% of earners, the average annual income gain would amount to more than $290,000, according to Penn Wharton. Americans living in high-tax states should also benefit from the Senate version of the legislation because it temporarily increases limits on deductions for state and local taxes for householders making up to $500,000 annually to $40,000 per year for five years. However, millionaires who lose their jobs will not be able to collect unemployment benefits, according to a recent provision added to the Senate bill. Workers who receive tips and overtime Certain workers will receive an extra tax break through 2028. Employees who work in jobs that traditionally receive tips could deduct up to $25,000 in tip income from their federal income taxes, while workers who receive overtime could deduct up to $12,500 of that extra pay. However, highly compensated individuals, who make more than $160,000 in 2025, would not qualify. Low-income Americans Many people at the lowest end of the income ladder would be worse off because the package would enact historic cuts to the nation's safety net program, particularly Medicaid and food stamps. Among the many changes to these programs would be the addition of federally mandated work requirements to Medicaid for the first time in its 60-year history and the expansion of the work mandate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, the formal name for food stamps. Parents of children ages 14 and up are among those who would have to work, volunteer, take classes or participate in job training to keep their benefits. Millions of low-income Americans are expected to lose their benefits because of the work requirements and the bill's other measures affecting Medicaid and food stamps. Notably, few of those dropped from Medicaid coverage would have access to job-based health insurance, according to a Congressional Budget Office report about the House version of the package. The health provisions won't only hit low-income Americans. The Senate is also tightening verification requirements for the Affordable Care Act's federal premium subsidies, which could also leave some middle-income Americans uninsured. All told, the bill could result in more than 10 million more people being uninsured in 2034, according to a CNN analysis of the bill and CBO forecasts. Hospitals Hospitals are not happy with the health care provisions of the bill, which would reduce the support they receive from states to care for Medicaid enrollees and leave them with more uncompensated care costs for treating uninsured patients. 'The real-life consequences of these nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts – the largest ever proposed by Congress – will result in irreparable harm to our health care system, reducing access to care for all Americans and severely undermining the ability of hospitals and health systems to care for our most vulnerable patients,' said Rick Pollack, CEO of the American Hospital Association. The association said it is 'deeply disappointed' with the bill, even though it contains a $50 billion fund to help rural hospitals contend with the Medicaid cuts, which hospitals say is not nearly enough to make up for the shortfall. Clean energy and EVs The Senate removed a last-minute excise tax on wind and solar that experts warned would have been a 'killer' for the clean energy industry. However, the Senate bill still strips tax incentives for wind, solar and other renewable energy projects by 2027 and gives developers stringent requirements to claim them. The American Clean Power Association slammed the legislation as a 'step backward for American energy policy' that will eliminate jobs and raise electric bills. Electric vehicle makers could also be left worse off because the GOP bill ends EV tax credits of up to $7,500 at the end of September. Previously those tax credits were scheduled to last through 2032, providing a powerful incentive for car buyers. Deficit hawks The Senate version of the package would increase the deficit by about $3.4 trillion over the next decade, according to CBO. Adding trillions to the debt risks lifting already elevated interest rates. That in turn will make it more expensive for Americans to finance the purchase of a car or a home and for businesses to borrow money to grow. Not only that, but higher rates would force the federal government to devote even greater resources to finance its own mountain of debt. The CBO expects US federal government interest costs to surpass $1 trillion per year. US spending on interest has already more than tripled since 2017, surpassing what the federal government's entire defense budget. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Here's who stands to gain from the ‘big, beautiful bill.' And who may struggle
President Donald Trump has promised that the 'big, beautiful bill' passed by the Senate and being considered by the House of Representatives will be one of the most successful pieces of legislation in American history. Of course, the ultimate beauty of this sweeping legislation is very much in the eye of the beholder. The bill could end up boosting some workers and industries, while others may be left worse off. Corporate America Big business groups, including the US Chamber of Commerce and Business Roundtable, applauded the Senate's passage of the bill on Tuesday. Corporations are betting they will benefit from the legislation making permanent the tax breaks in the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Manufacturers Manufacturers are especially happy that the bill would make significant changes to how the US tax code treats the construction of new manufacturing facilities. If the bill passes, businesses would be allowed to fully and immediately deduct the cost of building new manufacturing facilities. This temporary provision is retroactive to January 19, 2025 and continues for construction that begins before January 1, 2029. And in a bid to incentivize more chipmaking in America, the legislation would enhance tax credits for semiconductor firms building manufacturing facilities in the United States. Small businesses and partnerships The National Federation of Independent Business, the leading small business lobbying group, praised the legislation for making permanent a special deduction for the owners of certain pass-through entities who pay businesses taxes on their individual tax returns. That deduction, which applies to small businesses and partnerships formed by lawyers, doctors and investors, would get increased in the House version of the bill from 20% to 23%. The Senate bill kept it at 20%. High-income Americans The net income for the top 20% of earners would increase by nearly $13,000 per year, after taxes and transfers, according to an analysis of a near-final version of the Senate bill by Penn Wharton Budget Model. That amounts to a 3% average increase in income for those households. For the top 0.1% of earners, the average annual income gain would amount to more than $290,000, according to Penn Wharton. Americans living in high-tax states should also benefit from the Senate version of the legislation because it temporarily increases limits on deductions for state and local taxes for householders making up to $500,000 annually to $40,000 per year for five years. However, millionaires who lose their jobs will not be able to collect unemployment benefits, according to a recent provision added to the Senate bill. Workers who receive tips and overtime Certain workers will receive an extra tax break through 2028. Employees who work in jobs that traditionally receive tips could deduct up to $25,000 in tip income from their federal income taxes, while workers who receive overtime could deduct up to $12,500 of that extra pay. However, highly compensated individuals, who make more than $160,000 in 2025, would not qualify. Low-income Americans Many people at the lowest end of the income ladder would be worse off because the package would enact historic cuts to the nation's safety net program, particularly Medicaid and food stamps. Among the many changes to these programs would be the addition of federally mandated work requirements to Medicaid for the first time in its 60-year history and the expansion of the work mandate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, the formal name for food stamps. Parents of children ages 14 and up are among those who would have to work, volunteer, take classes or participate in job training to keep their benefits. Millions of low-income Americans are expected to lose their benefits because of the work requirements and the bill's other measures affecting Medicaid and food stamps. Notably, few of those dropped from Medicaid coverage would have access to job-based health insurance, according to a Congressional Budget Office report about the House version of the package. The health provisions won't only hit low-income Americans. The Senate is also tightening verification requirements for the Affordable Care Act's federal premium subsidies, which could also leave some middle-income Americans uninsured. All told, the bill could result in more than 10 million more people being uninsured in 2034, according to a CNN analysis of the bill and CBO forecasts. Hospitals Hospitals are not happy with the health care provisions of the bill, which would reduce the support they receive from states to care for Medicaid enrollees and leave them with more uncompensated care costs for treating uninsured patients. 'The real-life consequences of these nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts – the largest ever proposed by Congress – will result in irreparable harm to our health care system, reducing access to care for all Americans and severely undermining the ability of hospitals and health systems to care for our most vulnerable patients,' said Rick Pollack, CEO of the American Hospital Association. The association said it is 'deeply disappointed' with the bill, even though it contains a $50 billion fund to help rural hospitals contend with the Medicaid cuts, which hospitals say is not nearly enough to make up for the shortfall. Clean energy and EVs The Senate removed a last-minute excise tax on wind and solar that experts warned would have been a 'killer' for the clean energy industry. However, the Senate bill still strips tax incentives for wind, solar and other renewable energy projects by 2027 and gives developers stringent requirements to claim them. The American Clean Power Association slammed the legislation as a 'step backward for American energy policy' that will eliminate jobs and raise electric bills. Electric vehicle makers could also be left worse off because the GOP bill ends EV tax credits of up to $7,500 at the end of September. Previously those tax credits were scheduled to last through 2032, providing a powerful incentive for car buyers. Deficit hawks The Senate version of the package would increase the deficit by about $3.4 trillion over the next decade, according to CBO. Adding trillions to the debt risks lifting already elevated interest rates. That in turn will make it more expensive for Americans to finance the purchase of a car or a home and for businesses to borrow money to grow. Not only that, but higher rates would force the federal government to devote even greater resources to finance its own mountain of debt. The CBO expects US federal government interest costs to surpass $1 trillion per year. US spending on interest has already more than tripled since 2017, surpassing what the federal government's entire defense budget. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
