Despite concerns about cost of living, AI, 'Australians are an overwhelmingly resilient bunch'
Eight in 10 Australians are quite or very optimistic about work over the next five years, according to a new report.
The optimism among Aussies is influenced by job security, career satisfaction, and professional growth.
"Australians are an overwhelmingly resilient bunch. Despite the increasing pressures of the cost of living and the widely reported concerns around AI replacing workers and wage discrepancies, our research shows that Australians are positive about the future of work," said Kylie Baullo, Managing Director ANZ at ADP, which did the survey.
According to the report, the most optimistic workforces were from IT and telecoms (96%), construction (88%), and finance (83%).
Those who were less optimistic were from industries such as transport (40%), media and information (48%), and retail and trade (50%), found the survey of 1,400 Australian respondents.
Baullo said businesses should do their part to keep employees' optimism alive.
"Employers should continue prioritising supporting and freeing their HR teams from administrative activities to focus on important strategies, such as employee engagement," she said in a statement.
Flexible working arrangements can also improve optimism about the future of work, but Baullo said introducing it isn't the only key to employees' optimism.
"Continuing to reward achievements, addressing mental health concerns, upskilling training programmes, and promoting open communication are all essential elements for creating a supportive workplace culture and in turn, creating employee optimism," she said.
Innovation can also play a key role in employee optimism by freeing managers from tasks that can be automated.
"By leveraging solutions that automate tasks, such as payroll administration, managers can devote more time to supporting and collaborating with their teams," Baullo said.
