The Australian government has released a best practice guide for employers regarding the adoption of artificial intelligence in the workplace, warning that automation could lead to either improved working conditions or increased worker burnout. Workplace relations minister Amanda Rishworth launched the document, which advises businesses to provide workers with clear plans regarding how automation will affect their roles and opportunities for retraining.
While the guide suggests AI could boost productivity, profitability, and wages while offering shorter or more flexible working hours, it also identifies significant risks. The document concedes that AI could lead to intrusive worker surveillance, unrealistic performance standards, poor rostering practices, and potential discrimination. It notes that as basic tasks are automated, human employees may be left with more intense and complex responsibilities.
Minister Rishworth warned that companies failing to consult employees before implementing AI may inadvertently increase workloads by adding new steps for humans to navigate. She emphasized that worker willingness to adopt new technology depends on whether they receive support to build new skills and whether they share in the benefits created by the technology.
“Will they receive support and opportunities to build new skills? Will their knowledge and expertise still be valued? Will they share in the benefits being created? Without answers to these questions, workers will naturally lose trust in the process and become reluctant to engage with new technologies,” Rishworth said.
Labor MP Ed Husic questioned how the benefits of increased productivity will be distributed, asking whether the revolution will result in better services and higher wages or simply lower labor costs and higher returns for shareholders. The government guide specifically cautioned that younger, older, First Nations, female, and disabled workers may face disproportionate impacts from these technological shifts.
Greens leader David Shoebridge criticized the government's approach, arguing that optional guidelines are insufficient as major companies like Qantas, Canva, NAB, and ANZ have already implemented significant layoffs linked to offshoring and AI rollouts. Shoebridge called for protections against surveillance and job cuts to be written into law rather than left to employer goodwill.
The Reserve Bank of Australia reported seeing little evidence of AI disrupting the national labor market to date, though it noted the size and type of future impacts remain highly uncertain. The RBA identified tentative signs of impact on specific roles, including clerks, computer programmers, and call center workers.
