For Australian workers
Australian AI Career Confidence Index 2026
How confident are you about your future in an AI-enabled workplace?
Current research
Two Australian studies. Two perspectives on the same changing workplace.
For Australian employers
Australian AI Workforce Readiness Index 2026
How ready is your workforce for AI-enabled work?
Why this research matters
Access to AI tools does not automatically mean people or workplaces are ready.
AI adoption is moving quickly. EduSmart Institute wants to understand:
- what workers are experiencing
- what employers expect
- where capability gaps are emerging
- which capabilities workers and employers see as becoming more important
- how well organisations are preparing their people
- where worker confidence and employer expectations do not match
The bigger question
What helps people and organisations stay capable, relevant and effective as AI changes work?
Why EduSmart Institute
Research grounded in careers, education and real workplaces.
The people behind EduSmart Institute have run Global Training Institute for more than 22 years, in vocational education and workforce development. Our current focus is how AI is changing work, skills, careers and workforce capability.
We are building this as a repeatable Australian research program, not a one-off promotional survey. Our aim is to understand what workers and employers are experiencing, not to produce a predetermined result.
EduSmart Institute is an Australian Government Registered Training Organisation, RTO Code 45984.
EduSmart Institute works across:
- career development
- workforce capability
- vocational education and training
- practical AI and automation
- workplace transformation
- business improvement
- practical skills application
How we run it
Voluntary participation. Clear choices.
Our research principles are simple:
- participation is voluntary
- you do not need to consent to marketing to participate
- receiving research findings does not automatically subscribe you to marketing
- research responses are submitted before any optional commercial next step
- findings are reported as evidence, not used to create fear
- low scores are not presented as diagnoses
How your response is used
Reported in aggregate, with the method shown.
In aggregate
Research findings will be reported in aggregate. Individual respondents and organisations will not be identified in published findings without permission.
Answers first, details only if you ask
The surveys do not ask for your name or email. Contact details are asked for only after your response is submitted, and only if you want the findings or future resources.
The method, published with the findings
Published findings will include the sample size, participant mix, collection period and research methodology, and will say whether the sample is self-selected.
The two 2026 Indices will report what participating workers and organisations tell us. They will not claim to speak for every Australian worker or employer.
What we are looking at
AI readiness is bigger than knowing how to use an AI tool.
The research explores practical capability across areas such as:
- AI
- Digital skills
- Automation and workflows
- Data
- Critical thinking
- Communication
- Leadership
- Responsible AI
- Adaptability
- Business value
- Continuous improvement
These areas connect with EduSmart Institute’s broader framework of 16 Future Ready Skills.
Over time
Building an Australian picture over time.
The 2026 studies are the beginning of a repeatable research program tracking:
- career confidence
- workforce readiness
- AI skills and capability gaps
- changing roles and career pathways
- AI adoption and business value
- worker and employer expectations
2026 focus
Are Australian workers and workplaces ready for AI?
Future research may explore how these patterns change over time and across different industries.
One research program
One research program. Two perspectives.
| Workers | Employers |
|---|---|
| Australian AI Career Confidence Index | Australian AI Workforce Readiness Index |
| How confident are people about their future? | How ready are organisations and their people? |
| Career confidence | Workforce capability |
| AI readiness | AI adoption |
| Future-ready skills | Manager readiness |
| Employer preparation | Learning and development |
| Career proof | Governance |
| Career action | Business value |
The combined question
Where do workers and employers agree, where do their perspectives differ, and what capability development may be needed next?
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