Higher profits? Something's gotta give

Many companies are growing their profits at a faster rate than the U.S. economy is growing, economist Anthony Chan told a recent gathering of business leaders at Tampa's University Club.

Company profits are growing at 5% to 6% per year, while the economy is growing at 2%, Chan told members of the Association for Corporate Growth. But he warned that executives can't expect business as usual from their work force, if it's not increasing at the same pace as the company's profits.

“If you're going to try to grow your profits at two-and-a-half times the economy, you're going to have to use more technology,” said Chan, chief economist for private wealth management at J.P. Morgan in New York.

“You can only squeeze workers just so much,” he says.