Research

Australian consumers are set to spend $4.8 billion this year on online marketplaces this Black Friday and Christmas as they look to get the most value from their baskets, new research from ecommerce delivery leader, ShipStation suggests. The research was commissioned by its operating company, Auctane, in partnership with retail consultancy, Retail Economics.

Australian enterprises are turning to flexible digital workplace services as they reconfigure workplace environments to increase agility and productivity, according to a report published by Information Services Group (ISG), a global technology research and advisory firm. The 2023 ISG Provider Lens™ Future of Work (Workplace) – Services report for Australia finds that a significant percentage of Australian organizations are implementing hybrid work models in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. To achieve an ideal balance of in-office, at-home and hybrid work, they are seeking tools and services that simplify collaboration and communication across distributed teams for the best possible employee experience (EX).

Thoughtworks, a tech consultancy that integrates strategy, design and engineering, released Volume 29 of the Technology Radar, a biannual report informed by the firm's observations, conversations and frontline experiences solving the most complex business challenges. While generative AI is often posited as a useful tool to make developers more productive, a major theme in the report is what developer productivity means and how it can be measured.

AWS, an Amazon company, released its report revealing that micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) that embrace cloud-enabled tech in Australia are expected to unlock up to AU$9.3bn in annual productivity gains and support 1.4 million jobs across the healthcare, education, and agriculture sectors by 2030, representing 10% of all jobs in Australia.

Project Management Institute (PMI), the global organization for the project management profession, is empowering millions of project professionals worldwide to adopt, embrace, and leverage artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and generative AI (GenAI). PMI is developing tools, resources, and learning opportunities – including a free, introductory online course entitled “Generative AI Overview for Project Managers” – project professionals need to leverage AI powered tech while preserving the human touch in project management.

Cloudflare, Inc., the connectivity cloud company, released a commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting that underscores companies' growing need to connect everything in their business, while maintaining control over security, productivity, and competitive growth. To help the industry address this emerging challenge, Cloudflare is introducing the concept of the connectivity cloud – a unified platform of cloud-native services designed to help enterprises regain control over their increasingly complex and sprawling technology and data.

HypeAuditor, the AI analytics platform for brands seeking fair, transparent, and effective influencer marketing, analyses how influencers and brands are taking a stance on social media about the Australian Indigenous Voice referendum taking place on October 14. Since the referendum announcement in 2022, it has been a contentious topic in the media, in parliament and within different community groups. As voting day approaches, tensions rise and misinformation spreads and public figures like politicians are trying to sway the voters. 

The value of on-the-job training should not be underestimated, according to a new research study from the University of Auckland. The study, which is leveraging Australian data, found that over-educated and over-skilled employees are less likely to quit if training is available. The study, detailed in the paper ‘Educational job mismatch, job satisfaction, on-the-job training, and employee quit behaviour: A dynamic analytical approach', is the first to test the impact of on-the-job training and job satisfaction among job-mismatched employees.

While the direct disruption of the pandemic on workplace mental health has eased, Australian workplaces are facing new pressures, as new research reveals cost of living is having a direct impact on employee sentiment towards work. More than a third (35%) of employees say cost of living pressures are negatively impacting their job satisfaction, along with fatigue and burnout (33%), with almost a quarter (24%) stating they feel they are underpaid at work.

Global insurance firm, Allianz, unveiled the 14th edition of its “Global Wealth Report”, which puts the asset and debt situation of households in almost 60 countries under the microscope. The gross financial assets of Australian households declined by -1.3% in 2022, compared to losses of -8.8% during the GFC. Main cause was the asset class of insurance/pension – with a portfolio share of 55% the dominant asset class in Australia – which lost -6.8% in value.