Millions of Australians have visited a restaurant or place of interest, purchased something from a shop, bought concert tickets or music, or donated to charity – all because they saw it on TikTok. The inaugural ‘TikTok Economic Impact Report,’ by Oxford Economics found that in the last financial year, TikTok contributed $1.1 billion to Australia’s GDP and supported nearly 13,000 jobs.

Definitely two stats worth dancing about.

With more than 8-and-a-half million Australians on TikTok, and more than 350,000 businesses, TikTok is proving to be a powerful tool for businesses, both big and small, and the contribution to the economy and jobs is real.

The report found that investments in advertising and marketing on TikTok (FY23) generated $1 billion in direct revenue for Australian businesses, and with flow on impacts, the GDP contribution grew to $1.1 billion.

Oxford Economics spokesperson said TikTok can act as a “signpost” to the real world, offering people a way to discover new places to visit and new products and services.

“In fact, millions of people have visited a restaurant or shop, or purchased music or bought concert tickets after watching TikToks. This means businesses can, and do, really leverage the platform to grow.”

● 78% of business respondents said that TikTok had a positive impact at expanding their business’s reach. That’s great news for the 350,000 businesses using TikTok.

● 38% of users, or up to 3.2M people, reported purchasing a product or service recommended on the platform at least once a month during FY23 (Based on the review period and TikTok’s AU user base of 8.5m).

● Around 3.5M people (41% based on TikTok’s Australian user base) visited a TikTok recommended restaurant or shop at least once.

● Around 21%, or 1.8M people purchased music or concert tickets after discovering music on TikTok.

● 77% of businesses surveyed said it allowed them to reach new Australian audiences

● Around 19% (1.6M) of people have donated to a charity or highlighted cause, and around 18% (1.5M) committed their time to volunteer.

● Those aged between 35-44 had the highest levels of donating (42%) and volunteering (43%) to charities with a TikTok presence.

How people engage with TikTok is fairly similar across the country, with entertainment coming in as the number one reason. People in regional centres love DIY and home content, while those in metro areas lean into the arts, sport and politics a little more.

Using TikTok for business has been embraced by younger businesses. In the sectors surveyed, 54% of businesses aged between 5 and 9 years reported using TikTok at least once a month for advertising and marketing purposes, followed by 42% of businesses under 5 years old.

TikTok, GM of global business solutions, Brett Armstrong, said it has become an integral part of the social fabric of Australia. “TikTok has become a platform that is loved by millions of Australians and used by more than 350,000 businesses, of all shapes and sizes, to reach new customers and markets. This helps to create jobs and put money back into the economy.

“Our unique recommendation system focuses on engagement and interests, rather than follower numbers. This allows both new and established businesses to tap into popular trends and culture without the need for big marketing resources. “

While younger businesses like Brooki Bakehouse in Queensland have embraced the platform, more established ones, like Dymocks, are also finding new audiences and customers through TikTok.

Brooke Saward – Brooki Bakehouse – “Most of my bakery sales come from TikTok, and on weekends there is a queue down the street”

Dymocks – The rapid rise of the BookTok community helped Dymocks reach a new audience and grow sales. This has led to designated BookTok/TikTok displays in store where they promote popular new releases in addition to products that will appeal to the TikTok audience.

Swann, a global leader in do-it-yourself security, today announces the availability of Swann HomeShield™, a powerful AI-driven voice assistant which is set to redefine home and small business protection. Developed with Amazon Web Services (AWS) technology, this state-of-the-art solution harnesses generative AI to communicate with visitors, providing an unparalleled level of deterrence and peace of mind.

Launching in May, Swann HomeShield™ will enhance compatible Swann video doorbells, cameras and devices, using the latest adaptive AI technology to automatically respond to visitors with natural, human-like interactions. 

By employing heat and motion-based Passive Infrared (PIR) sensors, video analytics, and activity pattern analysis, Swann HomeShield™ can autonomously facilitate interactions in several scenarios that include accepting packages and screening unexpected visitors all while giving the impression there is a real person at home with an active presence. 

This innovative AI capability leverages the cutting-edge Amazon Bedrock service from AWS combined with the deep capabilities of AWS Lambda’s serverless computing service. Amazon Bedrock is a fully managed service that offers a choice of high-performing foundation models (FMs) via a single API, along with a broad set of capabilities needed to build generative AI applications, while simplifying development with security, privacy, and responsible AI.

At the core of Swann HomeShield™ lies Anthropic’s new Claude 3 Haiku advanced language model (via Amazon Bedrock), uniquely trained to act and answer as a knowledgeable housemate, aware of residents’ preferences. When a visitor approaches, HomeShield™ leverages AWS Lambda and Amazon Bedrock. The AI-generated response is then converted to speech and played back through the camera, providing a responsive experience that emulates interacting with a resident in real-time.

“Swann HomeShield™ represents a paradigm shift in smart security solutions,” said Alex Talevski, CEO of Swann Security. “This launch is a big step of accessible AI amongst everyday consumers, offering an easy and affordable solution to not just easily accept deliveries and screen unexpected visitors when they’re not at home, but also help keep families safe. Powered by Amazon Bedrock’s cutting-edge AI capabilities with Anthropic’s Claude 3 Haiku, Swann HomeShield™ sets a new benchmark for intelligent home protection, reinforcing our commitment to innovation and customer safety. When Claude 3 Haiku launched on Amazon Bedrock, we switched from Claude 2.1 in a couple of hours, and the speed of responses is 30% faster and significantly more accurate.”

“AWS is always striving to develop innovative technologies that enrich customers’ lives. AWS is democratising access to generative AI making it easier for customers of all sizes, across all industries, build and scale generative AI applications customised to their businesses,” said Louise Stigwood, Director of Enterprise, AWS Australia and New Zealand. “By harnessing the power of Amazon Bedrock, Swann HomeShield™ delivers an ability to engage visitors in natural voice conversations, representing a big leap forward in smart home technology and a great example of the power of generative AI.”

Swann HomeShield™ is affordable for everyday home users, at A$12.99 per month as part of the standard Unlimited Plan within Secure+ membership via the Swann Security app, compatible with iOS and Android. It can be easily integrated with the Swann product range including:

• SwannBuddy4K™ Wireless Video Doorbell (can be operated wirelessly or connect to existing doorbell wiring)
• Xtreem4K™ Wireless Security Camera (uses rechargeable battery power)
• MaxRanger4K™ Long-Range Wireless Security System (with solar-powered cameras and a hub)
• MaxRanger Stella™ 4K Long-Range Wireless Video Doorbell (coming soon), will provide smart AI security at perimeters and far-away entrances like never before. The Stella Doorbell will be able to be positioned at doorways and gates that are long distances away from the controlling hub. 

For more information on Swann’s range of devices, visit swann.com

Gen Z will make up more than a quarter of the global workforce by 2025, according to McCrindle Research data. However, when it comes to retaining staff of Gen Z (those born between 1995-2009), employers need to better understand and support the Gen Z workforce in building their offline professional personas, says leading Gen Z expert and social researcher, Claire Madden.

As more and more Australian workers are being encouraged to return to the office, Claire says that Gen Z is at risk of increased anxiety because they’re not as confident as older generations when it comes to interpersonal skills and face-to-face interactions.

“Following The Great Resignation, it seems like we may now have The Great IRL Hesitation: people feeling awkward in office interactions, presenting, asking for help, and even just picking up the phone for a call can fill many Gen-Z and Millennial employees with dread and create a feeling of apprehension,” explains Claire.

A 2023 US study revealed that 90% of Gen Z employees experience social discomfort or anxiety at work, with ‘being called on in meetings’ and ‘giving presentations’ in their top five reasons as to why they feel anxious.

Claire is adamant that the situation is just as pressing in Australia as it is in the US and accordingly, says that Australian employers – especially those calling on staff to return to more days in the office – should be considering ways to help Gen Z feel more confident in real life interactions for a more productive work environment and healthier future leaders.

“The way we work is being redefined for Gen Z, as they emerge into their career years amidst seismic global shifts and rapid disruption.

“Gen Z bring unique strengths into the multigenerational workplace. They are informed consumers, willing contributors, and digitally capable. Yet whilst they are tech-savvy and confident at curating their virtual identities, there can be a confidence gap when it comes to interpersonal skills and communicating face-to-face with clients and colleagues. They’ve been starved of the multiple opportunities to foster these skills in the way their older colleagues have,” adds Claire.

To help address the issue, the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) has released a collection of on-demand professional development courses – called Prologue by NIDA – inspired by the lessons and insights of the NIDA Corporate Training team.

“NIDA is renowned for training some of our most famous on-screen stars, and for over 30 years through our acclaimed NIDA Corporate Training, we’ve also been training Australia’s top and emerging business leaders in effective communication, influential leadership and face-to-face presentation skills. It’s so exciting to be sharing these skills and insights with people across Australia through this new self-directed Prologue by NIDA experience,” says Terri Martin, Head of NIDA Corporate Training.

Prologue by NIDA’s first course, Act Natural, includes a hardcover book, app, audio guide, films and games deliberately designed to engage Gen Z.

Lessons within the course take 15-30mins a day, and the full course requires approximately six to eight weeks to complete. The course is now available for purchase via https://prologue.edu.au/ and costs $759 incl GST (tax deductible for some) and also available to purchase using AfterPay.

“It makes sense for an offering like Prologue by NIDA to come along, that not only helps Gen Z with crafting their offline persona and communicating effectively in the workplace, but also delivers entertaining and insightful content in a way that works for them,” adds Claire Madden.

In addition to investing in courses such as Prologue by NIDA, Claire’s top tips for managers of the Gen Z workforce are:

·         Facilitate a supportive relational environment in your workplace culture. Teaming up colleagues to work together on a project will help Gen Z build offline relationships and feel like they can be their true authentic selves at work.

·         Give Gen Z achievable opportunities to grow their confidence in face-to-face communication – including training and development, and contexts where they can share their knowledge.

·         Creating pathways that provide Gen Z with personal and professional development is key to a retention strategy.

·         Help Gen Z identify and develop ‘transferable’ skills that they will be able to take with them on their career journey into the future. This includes skills like communication, problem solving and leadership skills.

·         Secure foundations and positive sense of self-awareness and confidence within Gen Z because this will translate to confidence in interactions with colleagues and clients.

·         Provide regular, ongoing, positive and constructive feedback to Gen Z. They have become conditioned to regular feedback through online platforms. In the workplace they like to know whether they are doing things well and how to improve in their work. Remember it doesn’t take long to give a positive compliment after you see a staff member do a good job.

Claire Madden is internationally renowned as a ‘Voice for Gen Z’ and works with some of the nation’s largest companies and leading brands on the changing landscape of Australia’s younger workforce and the implications for business and society when it comes to interrelating with Gen Z.

For more information about Prologue by NIDA: https://prologue.edu.au/

Shopify POS Go is the all-in-one mobile POS device built for reliable, fast and simple on-the-floor selling. The hand-held device functions as a POS station, barcode scanner, and card reader, helping businesses easily process transactions without the hassle of additional hardware. 

Shopify , a provider of essential internet infrastructure for commerce, has launched two point-of-sale (POS) solutions in Australia to empower merchants with the product and platform they need to design seamless, reliable, and integrated in-store experiences.

For businesses looking to turbocharge their countertop setup, Shopify’s best-in-class POS Terminal is now also available to Australian retail businesses. The payment hardware provides a full-featured customer display, guiding buyers through purchase with clear flows for checkout, payment, PIN entry, tipping, and receipt selection. POS Terminal accepts tap, chip, and swipe payments at the counter, with solid WiFi and Ethernet connectivity. 

The launch of these POS solutions follows findings from a Shopify study that found that when it comes to making new product discoveries, preferences towards browsing in-store (42%) and online (41%)  are almost evenly split among Australian consumers.

Shaun Broughton, Managing Director APAC at Shopify said: “We know that unified commerce is more important than ever, with our research showing a reasonably even spread between online and in-store preferences among consumers. But creating an efficient and differentiated in-store experience can often be quite challenging for merchants balancing outdated solutions that are disconnected from their online presence and back-office systems.”

“With the launch of the POS Go and Terminal, we’re doubling down on in-store retail and are thrilled to support Australian businesses with our next-generation point-of-sale technology. Both products work seamlessly with Shopify’s ecosystem of tools, apps, and omnichannel data reporting to create a unified experience, both for our merchants and their customers.” 

Alexandra  McNab, COO at Bared Footwear  said: “Shopify’s new POS Go has had a fantastic impact in our retail channels, enabling an elevated shopping experience for which Bared is renowned. It’s early, but we’re already finding the device has enabled better end-to-end service with our floor team, reducing queues at the counter, and freeing us up to spend more time genuinely helping our customers. We’ve piloted the device in one store, and are definitely excited to roll them out across our network.”

To learn more about the Shopify POS Go and Terminal, head to https://www.shopify.com/au/pos/hardware 

Motivated by its vision to transform the trade industry, hipages Group has launched a new all-in-one lead and job management platform, ‘hipages tradiecore’, to help tradies build, grow and manage their businesses.

A game-changer for tradies, the Australian first platform is an end-to-end solution, combining job leads and management with admin tasks such as quoting, scheduling and invoicing, in one convenient app.

The launch follows new research revealing 84% of trade business decision-makers feel like they are spending more time on client communication and admin, than on the tools. The impact of this is a hit to both profitability and bottom lines, with two-thirds (66%) admitting to losing out on business due to time spent on the books.

Three-quarters of tradies (74%) spend up to five hours per project on admin tasks alone, which is equivalent to $500 of labour. The most time-consuming activities include quoting (77%), scheduling and diary management (69%), and invoicing (61%).

Despite this, tradies recognise the importance of streamlined business management. The majority (86%) say these tasks are essential to ensuring a job is done properly, while three-quarters (74%) say proper communication is essential to being hired again.

hipages Group CEO and Co-Founder, Roby-Sharon Zipser, said:

“hipages Group has been helping Australian tradies build their businesses for nearly 20 years by connecting them with homeowners to boost their job pipelines with more work. However, tradies have told us they want more streamlined communication between themselves and clients. 

“By offering an all-in-one business solution through hipages tradiecore, not only are we offering an easier way to do business, we are saving them time by offering the only platform in Australia that manages their workflow from lead generation through to payment and completion.”

Tradies wanting to find out more about hipages tradiecore can register their interest at www.hipages.com.au/registration.

The start of the year has proved rocky for Australia’s 1.5 million sole traders, with over a third (38%) experiencing a decline in revenue – the only financial quarter to record this in the last two years.

The latest Hnry Sole Trader Pulse – the only nationwide survey of self-employed people in Australia including consultants, freelancers, contract tradies and healthcare workers – reports revenue decline has outweighed growth (37%) for the first time since the pandemic. This bucks a two year trend where sole traders have consistently seen their turnover improve, rather than worsen.

Feeling the increasing pinch of inflation and rising costs, only 56% of sole traders in March 2024 feel secure in their jobs, falling from 61% in October last year.* This comes as one in five (19%) are looking to give up independent earning to work for someone else, with 48% of this group looking to improve their earnings and 47% seeking greater stability.

Karan Anand, Managing Director of Hnry Australia, said: “With 50,000 new sole traders expected to enter the sector this year, this group is an essential subsection of our workforce that signals the broader health of the economy. Our data shows us they’re doing it tough and feeling the lasting impact of inflation and back-to-back interest rate rises. 

“The good news is that as economic pressures promise to ease, overall sole trader optimism, whilst modest, is on the rise – with 35% feeling positive about the health of the economy in six months’ time, a jump from 23% in October 2023, and the highest since March 2022.”

However, not all sole traders are bearing the brunt equally. Understandably those that are new to sole trading are struggling to find their feet in a tough economic climate, with over half (52%) of sole trader businesses under two years old reporting falling revenue, in contrast to 30% of those aged 3-10 years, and 39% aged over 11 years. 

This data corresponds with independent earners aged under 34 feeling more impacted by stagnating turnover (49%) when compared with their 35-54 year old (38%) and 55+ year old (34%) counterparts. 

Some industries are also faring worse than others – less than half (46%) of freelance creatives including designers, photographers and marketing consultants, feel positive about their financial security. This comes despite the government’s multi-million dollar investment into the creative sector last year, with many businesses continuing to tighten the purse strings and take creative work in-house that would have previously been outsourced.**

By comparison, health and wellness professionals are feeling the most secure (67%), followed by consultants (64%) and contract tradies (63%). Where 42% of self-employed creatives have seen their income fall, only 28% of wellness workers reported the same, as consumers prioritise spending on self-care and wellbeing in 2024.***

Mr Anand continued: “Despite experiencing a challenging start to the year, the majority of sole traders are still continuing to reap the rewards of being their own boss. Positive feelings around work-life balance (65%) and wellbeing (58%) have remained unchanged since last October, while job satisfaction has improved from 62% to 66% – signalling the greater freedom and flexibility of self-employment continues to pay personal dividends.”

The data also reveals that tax and financial admin continues to be a significant drain on productivity, robbing the average sole trader of an hour per day, while a day per week is lost to tracking business expenses alone. 

“An empowered workforce is a productive one. Ensuring that sole traders have the tools and resources they need to build thriving businesses is vital not only for the sector’s longevity – but for the nation’s economic success,” Mr Anand concluded. 

The Hnry Sole Trader Pulse is Australia’s only regular, comprehensive snapshot of the sentiment of self-employed people in Australia. For more information, visit hnry.com.au/au/soletraderpulse. 

Latest apprenticeship and trainee data reaffirms building and construction industry concerns that we are facing a critical labour shortage in the midst of a housing crisis said Master Builders Australia CEO Denita Wawn.

“Over the year to September 2023, a total of 42,333 new apprentices started in the building and construction industry. This represents an appalling 25 per cent reduction on the previous 12-month period.

“The number of apprentices in training in building and construction has decreased since September 2022, when there were 124,120 apprentices in training, to 120,881 in September 2023 (-3 per cent).

“Over the year to September 2023, a total of 21,814 construction apprentices completed their training. This represents a sharp reduction (-7.9 per cent) on a year earlier.

“We need more apprentices starting and completing their training in trades,” Ms Wawn said.

Despite this reduction, building and construction remains by far the largest employer of apprentices of any industry.

“Latest figures show that 120,881 building and construction apprentices were in training at the end of September 2023 – representing 33 per cent of all Australian apprentices.

Ms Wawn added: “VET is central to skills and knowledge development in the building and construction industry.

“More than 600,000 of the 1.3 million workers in building and construction have a VET qualification.

“Construction is the backbone of the Australian economy, employing approximately 1.3 million people, providing infrastructure, commercial and community buildings, and homes for the growing population.

“But the building and construction industry workforce is ageing and has a typical exit rate of 8 per cent a year. Master Builders estimates we need half a million new entrants over the next three years.

“We are not doing enough to plug this gap. There are not enough new entrants to the industry to meet building and construction targets, including 1.2 million new dwellings under the Housing Accord, or the transition to net zero by 2050.

“Vocational education and training has been seen as the second-class citizen to universities for far too long.

“Master Builders has long advocated for the bias that leads people away from the VET system to be dissolved.

“We need to change people’s perceptions of working and needing a vocational education to look at trades as a pathway into a vibrant, well-paid and very large industry.

“Making VET more attractive plays a crucial role in strengthening our domestic workforce capabilities.

“The recently released report on the inquiry into VET perceptions has rightfully made recommendations to putting VET and higher education on equal footing, investing significantly in careers education from an early age, supporting careers advisers to help young people make informed choices, promoting pathways to VET-based careers for women and delivering national campaigns to promote VET pathways.

“We know what needs to be done, and federal, state and territory governments have an enormous task of unwinding decades of neglect, so it’s time for rubber to hit the road.

“Addressing the immediate labour shortage requires a multifaceted approach. While efforts to strengthen domestic apprenticeships are vital, it’s evident that domestic sources alone cannot fill the workforce gaps in the short term.

“Skilled migration and better utilising the skilled migrants already in the country but who are not currently working in the industry are vital pieces of the puzzle,” Ms Wawn said.

Earlier this week, Master Builders Australia released its Finding Australia’s missing tradies: Harnessing our skilled migrant workforce supplementary Budget submission to help migrants already in Australia better navigate complex and unnecessary barriers to work in the industry.

“When seeking to attract more skilled trades into Australia, it is important to look to migrants who are already in the country,” Ms Wawn said.

“This is an underutilised cohort of potential workers who could fill workforce gaps in the short term.

“There are a number of skilled migrants already in Australia who are working in roles below or unrelated to their qualifications or work experience in their home country.

“Some are waiting on skills assessments or qualifications recognition, which, according to the Parkinson Migration Review, could cost nearly $10,000 and take up to 18 months.

“For many, it is simply too hard to have their professional capacity recognised to work in a trade in Australia, and they are instead in roles that present fewer hurdles to obtain.”