New Zealand workforce shines in multinational employee survey for fearless acceptance of new technology
Announcement posted by Genesys 13 Aug 2019
Forward-thinking New Zealanders embrace a future job market supported by AI
New data released by global technology leader Genesys shows New Zealand employees are the most secure in their roles when it comes to embracing artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace, compared to all other countries surveyed including, Australia, USA, UK, Germany and Japan.
New Zealand employees stood out for their willingness to be trained by AI, their confidence in job security and the positive impact they believe this intelligent technology will have on their jobs. They also had the highest level of trust in their employers to use AI ethically and appropriately.
Training
51% of New Zealand employees surveyed stated they were open to being trained by AI, Bots, and human-like robots compared to the overall average of 37%, and up to a remarkable 21% and 19% more than Japan and Germany respectively.
New Zealanders were also least resistant to using some form of technology for training, with only 12% ‘not willing’ to use a virtual assistant, augmented reality (AR) or virtual reality (VR) compared to the global average of 26%.
Jobs
New Zealand worker’s intrepid approach to the future was highlighted across a spectrum of sentiment questions targeting the direct impact AI currently has, and is predicted to have, on their jobs. Results saw below-average negative, and above-average positive sentiments expressed in all questions relating to the ‘impact’ on jobs, and of note:
Responsibility
Ethics, governance and areas of responsibility posed the greatest challenge to respondents in all regions, however, New Zealanders displayed the greatest confidence in their employers and also had the highest expectations.
Almost three-quarters of New Zealanders are not afraid of their company using AI unethically, compared to as little as 53% in Japan and only 66% in Australia. In turn, a staggering 91% - and the highest of all regions - believe the company or employer should be responsible for training staff in an AI-enabled workplace.
Ian McLean, New Zealand Account Director, Genesys said, “I’m not surprised to hear that New Zealand employees are easily adapting to the current technology as well as fearlessly planning for future developments. I see it every day with the Genesys customers I work with. As a country, the ethics, commercial frameworks and business practices are second to none, so we have confidence that we can make the most of the technology available to us.”
Survey Notes
Genesys®, the global leader in omnichannel customer experience and contact centre solutions, commissioned this survey to better understand current global attitudes towards artificial intelligence in the workplace and what this means for the future of AI.
4,207 employees from five regions including ANZ, the US, UK, Japan and Germany completed the online survey in April 2019. Respondents were evenly divided into three age ranges (18-38, 39-54, 55-73) with women accounting for 51% and men 49%.
For a copy of the full survey data, please contact the Genesys media relations team at genesys@zadroagency.com.au
About Genesys
Genesys® powers more than 25 billion of the world’s best customer experiences each year. Our success comes from connecting employee and customer conversations on any channel. Every day, 11,000 companies in more than 100 countries trust our #1 customer experience platform to drive great business outcomes and create lasting relationships. Combining the best of technology and human ingenuity, we build solutions that mirror natural communication and work the way you think. Our industry-leading solutions foster true omnichannel engagement because they perform equally well across channels, on-premises and in the cloud. Experience communication as it should be: fluid, instinctive and profoundly empowering. Visit genesys.com on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and the Genesys blog.
©2019 Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories, Inc. All rights reserved. Genesys and the Genesys logo are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Genesys. All other company names and logos may be registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective companies.
New Zealand employees stood out for their willingness to be trained by AI, their confidence in job security and the positive impact they believe this intelligent technology will have on their jobs. They also had the highest level of trust in their employers to use AI ethically and appropriately.
Training
51% of New Zealand employees surveyed stated they were open to being trained by AI, Bots, and human-like robots compared to the overall average of 37%, and up to a remarkable 21% and 19% more than Japan and Germany respectively.
New Zealanders were also least resistant to using some form of technology for training, with only 12% ‘not willing’ to use a virtual assistant, augmented reality (AR) or virtual reality (VR) compared to the global average of 26%.
Jobs
New Zealand worker’s intrepid approach to the future was highlighted across a spectrum of sentiment questions targeting the direct impact AI currently has, and is predicted to have, on their jobs. Results saw below-average negative, and above-average positive sentiments expressed in all questions relating to the ‘impact’ on jobs, and of note:
- New Zealand respondents are 9% less concerned AI/Bots will take their jobs in 10 years compared to other regions – and a full 14% less than UK respondents.
- 38% of New Zealanders believe AI will have a positive impact on their jobs in as little as 5 years.
- At 88%, New Zealand had the highest net positive views on the impact of technology in the workplace.
- 62% of respondents from New Zealand feel they already possess the skills required to work in an AI-enabled workforce; 15% more than the average and 12% more than respondents from Australia.
Responsibility
Ethics, governance and areas of responsibility posed the greatest challenge to respondents in all regions, however, New Zealanders displayed the greatest confidence in their employers and also had the highest expectations.
Almost three-quarters of New Zealanders are not afraid of their company using AI unethically, compared to as little as 53% in Japan and only 66% in Australia. In turn, a staggering 91% - and the highest of all regions - believe the company or employer should be responsible for training staff in an AI-enabled workplace.
Ian McLean, New Zealand Account Director, Genesys said, “I’m not surprised to hear that New Zealand employees are easily adapting to the current technology as well as fearlessly planning for future developments. I see it every day with the Genesys customers I work with. As a country, the ethics, commercial frameworks and business practices are second to none, so we have confidence that we can make the most of the technology available to us.”
-Ends-
Survey Notes
Genesys®, the global leader in omnichannel customer experience and contact centre solutions, commissioned this survey to better understand current global attitudes towards artificial intelligence in the workplace and what this means for the future of AI.
4,207 employees from five regions including ANZ, the US, UK, Japan and Germany completed the online survey in April 2019. Respondents were evenly divided into three age ranges (18-38, 39-54, 55-73) with women accounting for 51% and men 49%.
For a copy of the full survey data, please contact the Genesys media relations team at genesys@zadroagency.com.au
About Genesys
Genesys® powers more than 25 billion of the world’s best customer experiences each year. Our success comes from connecting employee and customer conversations on any channel. Every day, 11,000 companies in more than 100 countries trust our #1 customer experience platform to drive great business outcomes and create lasting relationships. Combining the best of technology and human ingenuity, we build solutions that mirror natural communication and work the way you think. Our industry-leading solutions foster true omnichannel engagement because they perform equally well across channels, on-premises and in the cloud. Experience communication as it should be: fluid, instinctive and profoundly empowering. Visit genesys.com on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and the Genesys blog.
©2019 Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories, Inc. All rights reserved. Genesys and the Genesys logo are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Genesys. All other company names and logos may be registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective companies.