Highlights of government performance around the world
Explore how governments tackle new trends, models, actions, initiatives, and strategies.
New Zealand’s latest workforce data underscores diversity, fair pay
New Zealand’s “Public Service Workforce Data” for 2022, released by Public Service Commissioner Peter Hughes, gives an overview of employment trends in the public sector. The report covers workforce numbers, ages, genders, ethnicities, occupations, incomes, and gender pay gaps. The data is collected from staff payroll records of all 37 Public Service departments.
One of the report’s highlights is the increasing diversity in public service. There are now 13.4% of public servants who identify as Asian, up from 9.4% in 2017 and 3.3% in 2000. Another area examined by the report is generational shift. It is estimated that the average age of employees in the public sector is declining. After peaking at 44.8 years in 2015/16, it has dropped to 44.0 years.
Data shows there are now 55.8% of women in senior management roles, up from 53.5% last year and 39.8% in 2010. Meanwhile, the public service gender pay gap decreased to 7.7% from 8.6% in 2021. | Source: https://www.scoop.co.nz
UAE to enhance AI utilization in government services
The UAE government launched the UAE Digital Economy Strategy, with a goal to increase the digital economy’s contribution to the GDP from 9.7% to 19.4%. Over 30 initiatives and programs are included in the strategy, which targets six sectors as well as five new growth areas.
During a meeting in Dubai, Omar Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications, said that the UAE Council for AI and Blockchain aims to create opportunities and foster collaboration between different departments. He also said that by adopting new technology and digitization solutions, the country would enhance its competitiveness and global leadership.
The AI Council discussed the implementation of artificial intelligence in critical sectors and ignited competitiveness among government entities. They also support the use of artificial intelligence as a working model and crucial tool in digital transactions in the fields of healthcare, energy, natural resources, blockchain, industry, transportation and logistics, and tourism. | Source: https://www.khaleejtimes.com
Survey reveals what citizens look for in digital public services
In a 2022 survey conducted by Accenture, citizens from North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific cited “ease of use” and “confidence in data security and privacy” as the top factors when asked what would make them more likely to utilize digital services. The survey also found that those who depended more on public services were the largest segment supporting accelerated digital interactions.
“The best step forward to improve customer experiences is to establish simple and secure processes so people can get what they need on the first try,” said Eyal Darmon, Accenture’s global public sector customer engagement lead.
In the same context, public servants surveyed said that their cyber-security training was insufficient. Only one-third of them claimed to be receiving regular training on cyber and data security. | Source: https://newsroom.accenture.com
Australia plans to reduce emissions by 81%
According to a report issued by Beyond Zero Emissions (BZE) in 2022, clean technologies that are already in use in Australia, such as wind turbines and solar panels, batteries, heat pumps, electrolyzers, and electric cars with chargers, were determined to have the potential to reduce Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions by 81% by 2030. The plan relies on increasing rollout rates of these six key technologies over the coming years.
“Our research shows Australians that emissions-cutting technologies are here, we’re using them and there’s no reason why they can’t be scaled up to help us cut emissions, create jobs, and lay the economic foundations for modern and competitive export industries,” said BZE chief executive, Heidi Lee. | Source: https://www.energymagazine.com.au
********************
To learn more about government performance, download The KPI Institute’s The Government Services Index 2022 for free here. For inquiries regarding the Index, contact Marcela Presecan, Head of Research: marcela.presecan@kpiinstitute.com, or +61 (390) 282 223.
