Experts on employment predict how Covid-19 will change the way we work and impact jobs in the future. The isolating impact of Covid-19 forced us to change the way we work. It recast the relationship between employer and employee and it brought the role of technology in our workplaces forward by years. This shift was … Read more
As we transition out of a Covid-focused world and prepare for what comes next, New Zealand’s ICT industry is gearing towards growth. From app development helping track the Covid-19 virus to website engineering keeping businesses in touch and online, ICT knowledge has been crucial to keeping New Zealand working over the last few months. But … Read more
How many hours you can and should work each week depends on the mode of thinking your job requires, writes Simon Hertnon. Our national discussion about a four-day week has jumped out of first gear, thanks to last week’s Facebook live video by prime minister Jacinda Ardern. In the video, which quickly garnered global media … Read more
Is Slack really the force for productivity it claims to be, or just another form of social media in disguise? Jihee Junn talks to Slack co-founder and chief technology officer Cal Henderson on the right (and wrong) ways to use his messaging platform. Every morning, Cal Henderson spends around 50 minutes walking to work, not … Read more
The rise of the machines will radically transform the way we work. Jobs will disappear. New ones will emerge. But what if the perceived threat of technology is really an opportunity to be more human? The machines are coming for our jobs, but we don’t need to freak out about it. Because, let’s face it, … Read more
At the same time as supermarkets adapt to increasing demand for online shopping, some supermarkets are investing in the development of their people. Alice Webb-Liddall finds out why humans still count. Online supermarket shopping and Click & Collect services aim to make the sometimes lengthy and totally necessary task of grocery shopping easier for everyone. … Read more
There are serious flaws in the theory that the ‘jobpocalypse’ is nigh, and technology is not about to replace New Zealand workers anytime soon, according to a new book. ‘Machines as ministers to man’, screams the US newspaper headline. Apart from the slightly old-fashioned language, the banner could be describing the conventional modern wisdom that … Read more
A study using salary data, employment prospects, skill shortages and training positions suggests aspiring engineers, builders, teachers, midwives and panel beaters are off to a great start. First published in February 2019. One of the most difficult choices in a young person’s life is deciding what they want to study. They have to think about … Read more
With the nature of work changing, companies are reforming how offices are set up and how their staff work, in an effort to get better outcomes for everyone. Alex Braae checked out two of New Zealand’s biggest companies to find out more. Looking back on predictions of the future is always an interesting experience, especially … Read more
No science or engineering background? No problem. A new apprenticeship scheme is addressing the skills shortage by training up people with no previous technical know-how. What do beauty therapy and the internet of things have in common? Absolutely nothing, unless you are 27-year-old solo mum Gabriella Swaby. The Melbourne woman was managing a suburban beauty … Read more
Kerri Jackson reports from a future of work seminar and concludes that the good news is, with revolution comes huge opportunity. The bad news? The starter gun’s gone off and New Zealand business is still milling about. We’ve all had those heated dinner party discussions about whose job will soon be handed over to the robots, … Read more
This week, Airbnb announced the New Zealand-wide launch of its ‘experiences’ guided tours and the forthcoming Airbnb Plus. These extensions to the global brand’s business got Henry Oliver thinking about the future of travel and the places we call home. Friends, I have seen the future. And, I must say, it’s a little underwhelming. Rather … Read more
Business is Boring is a weekly podcast series presented by The Spinoff in association with Callaghan Innovation. In our monthly Business Chat special, Simon Pound speaks with Maria Slade of Callaghan Innovation and Duncan Greive, managing editor of The Spinoff, about the business stories making the news that month. This month Simon, Maria and Duncan chat … Read more
Should you fear the future of work? Rose Hoare looks at where your job is going, and what you can do to future-proof your career. You are probably aware of the disheartening predictions about robots coming to steal your job. They are expected to appear one day, smiling pleasantly and speaking grammatically perfect English (and … Read more
The Budget’s R&D spend looks less than futuristic, says Grant Thornton’s Greg Thompson. While a chunk of this year’s expenditure naturally focuses on the perennial portfolios of health, education, justice and housing, this Budget aims to adjust the direction of our economy to deliver not just now but in years to come. This has been … Read more
Welcome to the Cheat Sheet, a clickable, shareable, bite-sized FAQ on the news of the moment. Today, should we all work a four-day working week? Yes. Hang on a minute! Yesterday a New Zealand company, Perpetual Guardian, announced it was trialling a four-day work week for its 200 employees, keeping wages – and number of … Read more
If robots are going to be the accountants, what is the point of getting a degree? Rebecca Stevenson reports on the future of work, and finds old skills are getting a new relevance. This post was first published on October 17, 2017. Late last month 100 New Zealand companies including Xero, Fonterra, The Warehouse, Spark … Read more
Less than half of New Zealanders with disabilities are in paid employment. New research from the Maxim Institute suggests employers are missing out by assuming there will be a cost to accommodating an employee with a disability. Imagine a person who’s a father, a teacher and a musician. He’s also blind. How do you think he’s … Read more
Is the freelance dream souring? Victoria Crockford finds insecurity abounds inside the gig economy, and argues we need to make sure rights are not lost with the rise of flexible work. ‘Got Paid’, ‘Went Outside’, ‘Remembered to Eat!!’, cheerfully quipped some of the ‘freelance achievement stickers’ designed by Jeremy Nguyen for the New Yorker recently. … Read more
There’s an increasing belief that you don’t need a degree to get a 21st century career. In the first of a two-part series on the future of tertiary education, AUT vice-chancellor Derek McCormack argues that New Zealand’s universities have an essential role to play in our changing world. I’m constantly asked about the relevance of … Read more
New Zealand recently topped an international study for ‘educating for the future’. But education futurist Frances Valintine says that, far from punching above our weight, our system is preparing students for a world that no longer exists. This week I found my 17-year-old son busy sanding (yes, with sandpaper) his name off his calculator, as … Read more
If robots are going to be the accountants, what is the point of getting a degree? Rebecca Stevenson reports on the future of work, and finds old skills are getting a new relevance. Late last month 100 New Zealand companies including Xero, Fonterra, The Warehouse, Spark and Fisher & Paykel signed an open letter that … Read more
Business is Boring is a weekly podcast series presented by The Spinoff in association with Callaghan Innovation. Host Simon Pound speaks with innovators and commentators focused on the future of New Zealand, with the interview available as both audio and a transcribed excerpt. You could look at the way work is arranged and decide that … Read more
A UMR nationwide survey suggests that New Zealanders are remarkably complacent about the threat new technology poses to their job security, writes UMR executive director Stephen Mills. If there’s one takeaway message from our nationwide survey of attitudes to work, it’s that Kiwis are largely unconcerned – at least for now – about the threats … Read more