Over Half of Workers in Australia and New Zealand Have Not Received AI Skills Training
Despite the rising rapid adoption of AI by employees and employers alike, Dayforce’s latest report has revealed that only 17% of organisations in Australia and New Zealand are actively upskilling their staff in AI.
With 2025 slowly drawing a close, many business owners and leaders have their minds set on January recruitment drives. As AI continues to transform the workplace across all sectors, businesses in Australia and New Zealand are struggling to maximise the value of this evolving technology.
The latest report from software company Dayforce highlights that although the majority of workers agree that AI has made their job easier, over half have yet to receive any AI-specific training.
In a time of economic instability and shifting expectations, it’s crucial to keep your talented workforce on-board with quality AI training courses.
Written 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.
Dayforce’s Report: The Main Takeaways
Although Australians and New Zealanders are overall optimistic about AI’s impact, Dayforce notes that trust in AI is higher among executives compared to frontline staff.
As senior leaders and owners are constantly on the look out for innovative ways to grow their businesses, this is somewhat unsurprising. However, in order to hold on to dedicated employees, it’s crucial for you to bring them along with you during changes and developments.
For Australian and New Zealand businesses to stay ahead of the game, AI is mission critical technology…
“…Ensuring motivated workers are given opportunities to learn, grow and advance is one of the keys to employee satisfaction and retention. With the right adoption of AI in place, organisations will be able to quantify their employees' skills and capabilities, document their goals and generate personalised career development plans.”
Employees clearly care about AI’s impact and are eager to learn AI skills. Interestingly, the ethical implications of AI are important to 65% of Australian workers and 58% of New Zealand workers - with a human-AI hybrid being an excellent driver of workplace change, this is positive.
Yet, nearly a quarter of organisations do not have formal policies outlining the use of AI in the workplace.
Fact: 54% of People Would Leave a Job Due to Lack of Career Development
According to Hay’s newly released Salary Guide, over half of Australian and New Zealand workers are planning to leave their workplace due to poor career development and growth opportunities.
This trend continues with D2L’s latest report: while 64% of employees say their employers provide AI tools, only 25% strongly agree their company has a clear AI vision.
Notably, 58% still feel left to their own devices when learning AI, with some workers resorting to informal sources such as YouTube, to keep up with shifting roles and responsibilities.
While accelerating AI integration into the workplace no doubt presents challenges, ensuring employees are equipped to navigate AI tools is well worth the investment.
Effectively rolling-out AI upskilling lessens the risk of fragmented adoption; proper implementation of AI will free up time for more strategic tasks.
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It’s time to prepare for new-year hiring. By solidifying AI skills training now, you can be confident that your employees, whether new or seasoned, will be able to effectively drive business growth.
Yes, AI is forecasted to contribute up to $116 billion to Australia’s economy over the next ten years, but this will be difficult to achieve without business leaders and owners investing in talent development and practical upskilling.
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