Bridging the New Zealand skills gap in your business; is AI the answer?
The sharpest leaders at the moment are focusing on how AI can enhance their workforce, not replace it in its entirety. So how can you futureproof the talent in your business?
The ever-growing skills gap for New Zealand workers and the need for specialised corporate training is becoming increasingly evident with the adoption and prioritisation of AI within businesses.
A recent G-P AI at work report has highlighted that not only is AI revolutionising the world of business, but it’s continuing to evolve at an accelerated pace. The report noted that “nearly three-quarters of executives (74%) view AI as critical to the success of their company, and 60% say their company is aggressively using AI to innovate in their industry”.
According to PwC’s 205 CEO Survey, 70% of New Zealand CEOs report AI has made their workforce more efficient, compared to just 42% in Australia with 75% of leaders plan to hire for AI-related positions in the coming year.
In this article, I take a look at what this means for the job markets in Australia and New Zealand, and whether workforce upskilling might be a better alternative to mass hiring of AI specialists.
Fact checked by
Tabatha Cook is a dedicated Careers Services Manager at Learning People, bringing a wealth of recruitment experience, having helped hundreds of professionals into their dream careers.
AI’s place in your business and workforce
The World Economic Forum reported that advancements in technologies, particularly AI and information processing; robotics and automation, are expected to be transformative to businesses globally. These trends could fuel demand for technology-related skills, including AI, networks and cybersecurity and technological literacy, which are anticipated to be the top three fastest- growing skills from 2025-2030.
Although most leaders trust AI to make decisions around marketing, compliance and risk management, they aren’t comfortable allowing AI to run their business with only 3% of executives trusting it to make any business decision. Some of the core financial impacts execs believe AI will have on their company include:
- Increase market research
- Save time through efficiency
- Reduce operational costs
- Open new revenue streams
But these can’t take place without people who have the skillset to train and manage these tools.
AI won’t replace your workforce, it’ll enhance it
Justin Flitter, Founder of NewZealand.AI said in The Scitex Workforce Report: “The productivity gains are substantial– AI implementation can drive a 41% increase in productivity. This is transformative when considering that training and development are key retention factors, yet only half of employers are actively investing in skill development.”
It’s been noted that generative AI can enhance human skills and performance within the workplace if applied appropriately within its capability, particularly for newer workers who perhaps lack the enhanced knowledge.
With that, it's becoming clear that AI is fast becoming a core tool within tech roles, including cyber security. Rather than taking jobs, it is developing into a tool people need to be equipped with the skills to utilise for maximum output and efficiency.
It’s inevitable that the demand for AI skills will increase, so how can you get ahead?
There’s no denying AI has a solid role within the future of businesses, with one of the fastest growing roles predicted between 2025-2030 being AI and Machine Learning Specialists, but how can your business get ahead? Simply, by investing in your staff and equipping them with the skillsets to enhance productivity.
Interestingly, the 'AI at Work' report highlighted that a huge 46% of people would look for a new job at a company that encouraged the use of AI tools if their current job did not allow the use. So it seems that not just business owners and leaders but also employees understand how businesses can get ahead of the tech skills gap through AI enablement.
How can The Learning People help?
We support organisations with bespoke, benchmarked workforce upskilling across a range of other areas, including AI and data readiness as well as:
- cyber awareness and resilience
- compliance and audit readiness
- leadership and management
- and much more
Our fully managed and structured learning and development programs empower your workforce to perform with high levels of confidence, judgement, and accountability.
Contact us today for a free consultation and team skills gap analysis.
—
Discover your team's training needs in a free 30 minute consultation
Find out how we can help
Talk to one of our dedicated learning and development account managers so we can understand more about your business
Read more about workforce upskilling
Cloud & MicrosoftMicrosoft Copilot Readiness: The Skills Your Team Needs First
Before rolling out Microsoft Copilot, teams need four capabilities: AI fluency and prompt skills for users, administration training such as AB-900 for deployment, security fundamentals like SC-900 to govern data access, and manager oversight to set usage standards. Together these prevent oversharing, wasted licences, and stalled adoption
Read More
Closing the Skills GapHow to Build the Internal Business Case for a Workforce Upskilling Program
Winning budget for upskilling means proving it beats hiring on cost and speed, tying training to certification pathways, and measuring capability uplift - not course completions - against real business outcomes like reduced delivery delays, fewer audit findings, and better retention.
Read More
Workforce Cybersecurity AwarenessAustralian Pension Superfunds Hacks Highlight Cyber Skills Shortage
The recent cyber attack targeting some of Australia's largest superannuation funds at the end of March is reported to have affected over 20,000 accounts. We take a look at what happened, the national cyber security skill gap, and what Australian businesses can do to avoid similar breaches.
Read More
Workforce Cybersecurity AwarenessCyber threats every business needs to know about in 2025
Explore the earning potential of cyber security roles in the UK in 2025. From entry-level to senior roles, we'll give you an idea of what you can expect.
Read More