Market Intelligence Reports

• The AV Sales Index (AVI-S) for May increased one point to 53.1. 75% of integrators said they have been working on corporate office spaces, which often sees a mid-year spending push when budget remains.  While new construction was essentially flat to declining for May, spend continued in remodels. College enrollment from 2026 – 2027 is showing a modest growth, in turn some are seeing less spending in higher education.

• While the industry is seeing slight expansion, providers are feeling the negative effects of the economy. General economic instability, including inflation, rising costs, and recession fears continue to be of concern. 21% said rising costs and inflation were a challenge for May.

• The May AV Employment Index (AVI-E) dropped one point to 53.3.  Respondents say they are having difficulty finding and retaining qualified staff, hiring freezes, and labor shortages. This includes challenges with talent development, employee retention, and filling vacancies. However, the U.S. labor market showed renewed momentum after a softer stretch, with May marking one of the strongest gains in recent months. Growth was concentrated in a few service sectors, while overall conditions remained steady rather than rapidly accelerating.

The preliminary North American AV Sales Index (AVI-S) continued to rise over one point to 55.6 in May, while the non-North American Sales index had no change at 47.8. Internationally trade uncertainty and slowing exports are affecting 2026 momentum. The demand remains but it is more delayed, fragmented, and risk-sensitive than in the U.S.

On the employment side, the preliminary North American AVI‑E remained steady at 56.4. The non‑North America AVI‑E dropped to 47 showing contraction for May.

^{₁Due to the small sample, the North American and International indexes are based on a 3-month moving average. The May 2026 index is preliminary, based on the average of May 2026 and April 2026 and will be final with June 2026 data in the next report.} 

The survey behind the AVIXA Pro AV Business Index was fielded to 2,000 members of the AVIXA Insights Community between April 26, 2026 and May 6 2026. A total of 269 AV professionals completed the survey. Only respondents who are service providers and said they were “moderately” to “extremely” familiar with their company’s business conditions were factored in index calculations. The AV Sales and AV Employment Indexes are computed as diffusion indexes. The monthly score is calculated as the percentage of firms reporting a significant increase plus half the percentage of firms reporting no change. Comparisons are always made to the previous month. Diffusion indexes, typically centered at a score of 50, are used frequently to measure change in economic activity. If an equal share of firms reports an increase as reports a decrease, the score for that month will be 50. A score higher than 50 indicates that firms, in the aggregate, are reporting an increase in activity that month compared to the previous month. In contrast, a score lower than 50 is a decrease in activity.