Willingness comes ahead of expected boost in productivity from artificial intelligence: report
Employers across New Zealand are willing to pay employees 30% more once artificial intelligence is fully harnessed in the workplace, as they predict an array of productivity benefits from the technology.
This is according to a new report from Amazon Web Services, which surveyed more than 1,600 employees and over 500 employers in New Zealand as part of its regional study Accelerating AI Skills: Preparing the Workforce in New Zealand for Jobs of the Future.
The report found that the departments that would see the biggest salary gains from AI implementation are IT (41%) as well as research and development (38%).
Productivity gains from AI
It comes as majority of employers expect their productivity to increase by 49% as AI:
- Automates repetitive tasks (63%)
- Improves workflow and outcomes (63%)
- Enhances communication (57%)
In fact, a majority of employers believe that not only will their IT departments enjoy great benefits for AI, they will also see gains for:
- Sales and marketing (85%)
- Finance (83%)
- Research and development (83%)
- Business operations (83%)
- Legal (75%)
- Human resources (72%)
AI skills shortage
Amid these expectations, however, 70% of employers said they can't find the AI talent that they need, according to the report.
Another 79% of employers also said they don't know how to run an AI workforce training programme.
The findings come as 79% of employees across New Zealand express an interest in developing AI skills to further their careers.
This interest is widespread across the workforce, with majority of Gen Zs (78%), Millennials (82%), and Gen X (76%) employees saying they want to acquire AI skills and would enrol in an upskilling course if it was offered.
