65% of Australian Frontline Workers Are Using AI, but Almost Half Have Had No Employer Guidance

Humanforce research finds workers want AI to take on the paperwork that costs more than a quarter of them four hours every week

SYDNEY, Nov. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Almost half (46%) of frontline workers surveyed by Humanforce have received no employer training, briefing or written rules on AI, even though 65% have used AI or an AI-enabled tool at work in the past year. 

Among respondents who had used tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude or Copilot for work, almost one in four (24%) said their employer did not allow it or they did not know whether it was allowed. In healthcare, that rose to more than one in three (36%), a sign that AI is reaching some of the highest-stakes moments in frontline work before guidance has caught up across the sector.

Just 13% of workers said they had received comprehensive training, according to the survey of 501 Australian workers across healthcare, hospitality and tourism, and retail and wholesale trade.

“Australia’s AI debate still revolves around people working at desks. Yet frontline workers are already using AI on the job, and guidance hasn’t kept pace,” said Clayton Pyne, CEO of Humanforce. “Someone caring for patients, serving customers or moving between shifts should know what they can share with general-purpose AI tools, what they can rely on and when an answer needs checking. Organisations that provide this clarity early will reduce risk and get far more from AI, including less paperwork, easier shift management and more time with customers and patients.”

Paperwork and administration ranked first in every sector as the area workers most want technology or AI to make easier (43% overall), followed by rostering and managing shifts (31%). Nearly half (49%) estimated they spend at least two hours in a typical week on tasks such as forms, timesheets, shift changes, finding information and sorting out pay or leave, and more than one in four (28%) spend four hours or more.

“Frontline workers feel that admin burden most directly, but for organisations it is also a compliance, cost and productivity issue, which makes the back office a place where AI can provide significant support,” said Pyne.

Pay was a persistent pain point. Two in five workers (41%) said their pay had been wrong at least once in the past 12 months, and more than one in four (27%) said it had happened two or more times. For people paid by the shift, these pay errors land in the household budget straight away.

In shift-based work, pay depends on award rules, penalty rates and roster changes that can vary from week to week. AI can play a role in assessing that complexity by checking pay before it runs and explaining any variances it finds. However, given pay is mission-critical, and across high-compliance software, AI governance is vital. In workforce management, that means AI acting within clear permissions, with every action traceable and explainable, on top of a deterministic core that holds the awards, rosters, time and pay record.

“Getting pay right is one of the most basic commitments an employer makes, and one of the hardest to keep in shift-based work, where errors are easy to make and hard to spot,” Pyne said. “AI will do far more to help, but only when it is built on the rules, data and approvals that already make pay compliant. Nobody should have to take AI’s word for what they’re owed.”

Frontline workers also want technology that supports them directly, with faster answers to questions about pay and better support to learn and develop. Training and support (27%), managing workload, fatigue or wellbeing (23%) and understanding their pay, entitlements or award (19%) were among the other areas they most want made easier.

They were just as clear about what they want to protect. Losing the human contact aspect of their job was the top concern about AI in frontline workplaces, selected by 47% of respondents.

“Much of frontline work is human by nature: empathy, in-person care and service, from a carer helping a resident start their day to a host welcoming a guest. That helps explain why paperwork topped their list,” explained Pyne. “Workers want technology to take on the admin so they have more time for the people in front of them.”

Support for AI is conditional on people staying in the loop. The most popular safeguard was having a person review important AI decisions (49%), and 39% wanted the ability to question or appeal an AI-assisted decision. Only 8% said no additional safeguards were needed.

“The frontline organisations that get the most from AI will use it to give their people more time for the human side of the job,” Pyne said. “Workers should never be left arguing with an AI system about a decision that affects their hours, pay or working life. Organisations need to be clear about where AI is used, keep people involved in important decisions and give workers a way to speak up when something looks wrong.”

Key findings by sector

Healthcare: the heaviest admin load. More than half (58%) of healthcare workers spend two hours or more a week on admin. Half (50%) have received nothing from their employer on AI. Misuse of personal information was their top AI concern (40%), narrowly ahead of losing human contact.

Hospitality and tourism: pay and shifts. Almost half (48%) of hospitality and tourism workers said their pay had been wrong in the past year, compared with 33% in retail and wholesale. Rostering and managing shifts was selected by 35% as an area where technology could help, and 29% worry AI could mean fewer shifts or hours.

Retail and wholesale trade: furthest ahead on AI guidance. Retail and wholesale workers were the most likely to have had some guidance on AI, though more than a third (37%) have still received none. Three in ten (30%) use AI most days, and losing human contact was their top concern (53%).

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About the research

Humanforce commissioned Zoho to survey 501 Australian workers across healthcare (151), hospitality and tourism (200), and retail and wholesale trade (150) in Q3 2026.

About Humanforce

Humanforce is the operating platform for modern frontline workforce operations. It brings together workforce management, payroll, HR, talent, benefits, learning and AI & Analytics for complex, regulated organisations where every shift shapes service, care and experience.

More than 1,500 customers and one million employees use Humanforce across more than 90 countries. Humanforce serves aged care, childcare, healthcare, hospitality, retail, events and stadia, travel and other frontline industries. Founded in 2002, Humanforce has offices across Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the Philippines and the United States.

Customers include Accor, Flight Centre, Hungry Jack’s, Vodafone, Fujitsu, Alfred Health, Hostplus and more: https://humanforce.com