Amazon Web Services (AWS) conducted a study revealing that enhancing AI skills could significantly increase salaries and career growth in New Zealand.

The research, titled "Accelerating AI Skills: Preparing the Workforce in New Zealand for Jobs of the Future," involved over 1,600 workers and 500 employers. Key findings include:

Salary Increase: AI skills could lead to a 30% salary increase, with IT and R&D sectors seeing up to 41% and 38% increases respectively.

Career Impact: 90% of workers believe AI skills will positively impact their careers, enhancing job satisfaction, efficiency, and income.

Productivity: Employers expect a 49% productivity boost in their organizations through AI, attributed to automation and improved workflows.

AI Adoption: Over 90% of employers aim for their companies to be AI-driven by 2028, with benefits spreading across various sectors.

Generative AI: High anticipation for generative AI tools, expected to be utilized by 86% of workers and 92% of employers within five years.

Skills Shortage: 70% of employers report difficulties in finding AI-skilled workers, despite the high priority of hiring such talent.

Training and Development: There is a notable gap in AI workforce training, with 79% of employers unsure how to implement training programs.

The study emphasises the need for collaborative efforts between the government, industries, and educational institutions to bridge the AI skills gap and maximise economic benefits.

AWS and the New Zealand government have initiatives underway to train up to 100,000 people in cloud skills over the next five years.

AI New Zealand looks forward to announcing a partnership contributing to this initiative very soon.