42%
have discovered a payroll error – most were confident their payroll was accurate when it happened.
Workforce Pulse Check
Hundreds of Australian businesses have weighed in. Where do you stand?
Answer a few quick questions and get a tailored report in your inbox – your Pulse Check score, a benchmark against similar businesses, and practical steps to close any gaps.
97% of Australian business leaders feel confident. 42% have already found a payroll error.
That gap has a name. We call it the Confidence Trap.
The 2026 Workforce Pulse Report is our national study into how businesses are really managing their HR, payroll, safety and compliance obligations — and what the gap between confidence and capability is actually costing them.
Key Findings
What we found beneath the confidence.
Only 25%
of businesses strongly agree they can identify and manage psychosocial risk, despite it carrying the same legal weight as physical safety.
Only 1 in 3
businesses using AI strongly agree their use is appropriate, safe and beneficial - even as adoption reaches 60% (net).
What's in the report?
Eight areas. One clear picture of where your business stands.
- HR & people management – are your contracts, policies and processes current?
- Payroll & wage compliance – is your payroll as accurate as you think it is?
- Safety & psychosocial risk – are you across your obligations, not just the physical risks?
- Legal & employment law – have you kept pace with three years of reform?
- Migration & workforce planning – do you understand the obligations that come with your visa pathways?
- Technology & systems – are your platforms connected, or hiding errors in the gaps?
- AI & the workplace – is your AI use appropriate, safe and defensible?
- Certification & compliance readiness – could your systems withstand independent scrutiny?
About the research
Senior leaders. Real businesses. Independent research.
510
businesses of every size, across Australia. Every respondent holds direct workforce management responsibility; business owners, C-suite and senior managers. The Confidence Trap shows up across all of them.
36
industries, from professional services and construction to healthcare, retail and aged care. The risks this report identifies aren't sector-specific. They're structural.
8
workforce risk areas examined in depth, from HR to safety, employment law to AI. If it affects your workforce obligations, it's in here.
Register to receive the report, and we will also send you a link to our recent Compliance Gaps and Confidence Traps webinar.
Tune in to hear our panel of experts discuss the report findings and their implications for modern businesses.
“Being confident without the correct knowledge can be a dangerous way to run a business. This report shows exactly where that confidence is being tested – and where it's running out.”
