Autodesk has released the Australian findings of its 2023 State of Design & Make report, revealing 36% of organisations regard themselves as ‘more digitally mature’ than their competitors, slightly behind the global average of 38% and behind China (57%). Australian companies are also lagging behind on global sustainability targets and have experienced issues resulting from talent shortages more than other nations, according to the data.
The 2023 State of Design & Make report is a study of more than 2,500 business leaders – including 262 in Australia – in the industries that comprise the Design and Make category. These sectors include architecture, engineering, construction and operations, product design and manufacturing, and media and entertainment.
The report found the top three challenges facing Design and Make companies around the world are attracting and retaining talent, managing costs and responding to the volatile global economy and global events. The report also revealed striking differences in resilience and performance for companies that are digitally mature or further along in using digital tools to transform their businesses.
However, Australian companies are better prepared to weather the storm; 63% of local respondents agreed their company is prepared to handle changes, outranking US (51%) and European (58%) counterparts.
Although 36% of Australian respondents regard their organisations as ‘more digitally mature’, 22% are still at an ‘early stage’ of their Digital Transformation journeys, with 42% ‘right in the middle’, 21% ‘approaching the goal’ and 15% having ‘achieved the goal’.
Autodesk also found Australian Design and Make organisations are more prepared to increase their digital investments, with 73% planning to do so in the next three years, compared to a global average of 67%.
Battling talent shortages and workforce changes
The workforce has evolved more in the past three years than in the previous 25, said nearly three quarters of respondents worldwide.
Today, attracting and retaining talent is the top challenge for 48% of respondents. Access to skilled employees is posing a barrier to business growth for 64% of respondents. A total of 93% of respondents said upskilling was important to their companies. Skills of the future include those related to technology, collaboration and regulatory knowledge.
Australia lagging global sustainability goals
The report showed a consensus emerging on the importance of sustainability. Some respondents said taking sustainability measures will eventually account for a substantial part of their revenue.
Unfortunately, the report data revealed Australian companies were less likely to have taken sustainability actions around carbon, including:
- Creating clear goals for carbon neutrality – 13% compared to 25% worldwide
- Helping or requiring decreased carbon emissions from suppliers – 13% versus 21% worldwide
- Participating in voluntary carbon markets or carbon offsets – 13% compared to 17% worldwide
Digitally mature companies primed for growth
Digital Transformation is boosting business by reducing costs, increasing innovation, improving performance and enabling products and services to launch faster. Indeed, 79% of respondents globally said that the future growth of their company will depend on digital tools.