Australia faces AI talent and benefits gap as adoption accelerates, Aon study finds
SYDNEY, 18 June 2026 - Aon plc (NYSE: AON), a leading global professional services firm, has released Australian findings from its inaugural Human Capital Trends Study, highlighting a gap between the pace of artificial intelligence (AI) adoption and the workforce strategies needed to support it.
While AI adoption is accelerating across Australia, opportunities remain to strengthen talent, employee benefits and pay transparency to help organisations realise its full value.
AI adoption is increasing, but workforce readiness is uneven
In Australia, 76 per cent of organisations report they have either fully deployed or are piloting AI, including 48 per cent that have deployed AI and 28 per cent that are piloting its use. However, 24 per cent say they can recruit and retain the skills required to support AI, underscoring a persistent challenge in building a future-ready workforce. This reflects a broader trend across Asia Pacific, where organisations are adopting AI at pace but continue to face constraints in accessing talent and translating investment into business outcomes.
“Australian organisations are moving quickly to adopt AI, but technology alone is unlikely to deliver better outcomes,” said Alex Cass, partner, Human Capital client leader for Australia at Aon. “What we are seeing is a growing need to align that investment with workforce strategy, particularly in areas like skills, leadership and workforce planning. Organisations that get this balance right are more likely to unlock long-term value from AI.”
People strategies remain central to performance
Australian organisations identified three workforce priorities for the next three years:
- Accelerating digital transformation in HR processes.
- Strengthening leadership and succession planning.
- Improving employee engagement and retention.
Human capability remains critical to organisational performance, with leadership and people management identified as the most important workforce capability for future success in Australia. Across Asia Pacific, adaptability, change management and leadership capability are becoming increasingly important as organisations pursue growth and evolve their workforce strategies.
Benefits and employee experience gaps persist
Differences between employer offerings and employee expectations continue to highlight areas for alignment. The study shows that 52 per cent of Australian employers offer customised benefits, compared with 75 per cent of employees who say these are important or extremely important.
Structural factors, including Australia’s fringe benefits tax environment, continue to shape how employer-provided benefits are delivered and perceived. Similar trends are evident across Asia Pacific, where access to personalised benefits remains below global levels despite strong employee demand.
Pay transparency and data maturity continue to evolve
Pay transparency remains relatively underdeveloped in Australia, with 13 per cent describing their practices as mature or very mature, which may reflect the absence of extensive legislative drivers seen in other countries.
Meanwhile, with 33 per cent reporting a high level of human resource data maturity, organisations have an opportunity to further translate insights into workforce decisions and outcomes. As the Workplace Gender Equality Agency increases expectations for large employers to set gender equality targets, there is likely to be greater focus on building data-driven approaches to target setting and action planning.
Across Asia Pacific, organisations report access to workforce data and continue to expand how it is applied.
Aligning people and technology is key to future growth
The findings highlight an opportunity for Australian organisations to better align technology investment with workforce strategy. Across Australia and the wider Asia Pacific region, organisations that invest in skills, leadership and employee experience alongside AI may be better positioned to improve productivity and support long-term growth.
“Demand for AI capability is increasing, and organisations are focusing on how to attract, develop and retain the right skills,” said Annette Hang, partner, Talent Solutions for Australia at Aon. “A more structured approach to workforce planning and reskilling can help ensure technology investment is supported by the capabilities needed to deliver meaningful outcomes.”
About the study
Aon’s 2026 Human Capital Trends Study surveyed 2,361 business, human resource and people leaders globally, including 504 respondents from Asia Pacific and 125 from Australia.
Read the full 2026 Human Capital Trends Study here.
