Australia’s Great Work Reallocation: How businesses can take charge

The Great Work Reallocation is already underway, and businesses must act smarter, not harder, to remain competitive, writes Peter Graves.

“AI won’t take your job. It’s somebody using AI who will.”

This powerful statement from leading economist Richard E. Baldwin cuts to the heart of a growing reality: workplaces are being reshaped by the balance between machines and humans. Leaders must now focus on determining which tasks are best suited for automation and which require human creativity, strategic thinking, and relationship building.

This shift, referred to as the Great Work Reallocation, is about changing how work gets done. For instance, machines are very good at repetitive, data-heavy tasks, freeing humans up to concentrate on high-value tasks that drive innovation and collaboration.

The next evolution of this has already begun through agentic automation, which combines agents, robots, AI and people to automate complex business processes end to end. It is already delivering transformational outcomes, making businesses more autonomous and productive while enhancing the experience of customers and employees.

William Payne, chief digital officer at Mirvac, is seeing early signs of success by engaging agentic automation across multiple business processes.

“It’s not so much that people are doing their jobs differently; it’s that they’re thinking differently. There’s been a surge in creativity, in ideation. You start with one use case, and suddenly, it sparks five more ideas for how we can apply AI elsewhere. It’s an endless stream of possibilities,” he said.

However, William cautions that succeeding in this new era requires more than simply adopting technology. It calls for leaders to rethink operational models, redesign workflows, and prepare the workforce for a future defined by human-machine collaboration.

This also isn’t a change that businesses can tackle in isolation – unions, governments, academia, and policymakers are all grappling with the ripple effects of this new workforce design. McKinsey projects that sectors like STEM, healthcare, legal and creative industries stand to benefit the most from AI.

For organisations, this means proactively managing the talent reallocation and ensuring machines augment human capabilities to achieve optimal business results.

Here’s how Australian businesses can lead this transition:

1. Map out the workforce of the future

Begin by identifying roles that will evolve due to automation. Process mining and task mining technologies are critical for analysing workflows, uncovering inefficiencies, and pinpointing tasks suitable for AI. For example, Omega Healthcare used these technologies to eliminate workflow bottlenecks, reducing process documentation time by 80 per cent and enabling employees to focus on cognitive decision making rather than repetitive tasks.

2. Select the right technologies

A cornerstone of the Great Work Reallocation is adopting agentic automation – where agents, robots and humans work together. Agents need people to oversee performance, provide approvals and refine workflows. Meanwhile, robots handle many of the repetitive tasks that agents need to do, such as data entry or document processing.

To select the right technologies, the partnership between agents, robots and humans is critical. A useful (though simplified) analogy is the left and right parts of the brain working together. In the emerging autonomous enterprise, important and logical left-brain tasks, like data gathering, entry, and migration, will be done by robots. Creative and dynamic right-brain tasks – forecasting, comparison, innovation, and problem solving – will be performed by agents. However, keeping humans in the loop is essential, as it ensures that AI-driven processes maintain accountability, allow for human judgement where necessary, and align with business goals. This combination of capabilities makes agents and robots a power couple poised to automate process-based work while preserving the critical role of human oversight.

3. Upskill and empower your workforce

Invest in targeted training programs to prepare employees for the “great work reallocation”. Focus on technical skills like managing AI tools and data analysis, as well as uniquely human capabilities such as creativity, problem solving and critical thinking.

Fostering a culture of innovation is equally important. Involve employees in automation initiatives, ensuring they understand how these changes enhance their roles and benefit the business. Share success stories and build momentum to create a workforce that embraces technology as an enabler.

4. Redesign workflows for human-machine collaboration

Redefine processes to capitalise on the unique strengths of both AI systems and people.

Breaking down silos across departments is also essential. Encourage collaboration between HR, IT, and business line leaders to ensure the smooth integration of AI systems and alignment with broader organisational goals.

The Great Work Reallocation is already underway, and businesses must act smarter, not harder, to remain competitive. Businesses that strategically integrate automation, empower their workforce, and embrace human-machine collaboration will be one step ahead.

Peter Graves is the area vice president in Australia and New Zealand at UiPath.