Public servants tip AI as the top tech to boost productivity
New exclusive Global Government Forum (GGF) research reveals that while public servants worldwide face a pressing productivity challenge, many government organisations are lagging on the adoption of technology, particularly AI, to drive improvements.
GGF’s Solving the Public Services Productivity Puzzle report, produced with knowledge partner SAS, found that nine in ten officials say their organisation faces a productivity challenge, with 56% characterising it as significant or very significant.
Featuring examples from government organisations in Canada, Brazil, the UK, Singapore and more, the report explores the scale and nature of the productivity challenge – and the strategies being deployed to tackle it.
In the survey of public servants around the world – which was undertaken in July 2024 and received 277 responses – the biggest reasons cited for the productivity challenge were limited staff (81%), rising new demands (80%), limited budget (73%), and a backlog of work (69%).
Multi-faceted approach
For these reasons, improving productivity is a priority for government organisations, who are using varied approaches to drive improvements. The most commonly adopted in the last year were: training and development (43%), process improvements (40%), staff wellbeing initiatives (39%) and workforce reorganisation (39%).
The results also revealed significant untapped potential. Despite 80% expecting technology to have a significant impact on productivity, just 31% have introduced technology to boost productivity within the last year.
AI is expected to be the technology that has the most significant impact on productivity, ahead of project management tools, communications platforms, document collaboration and data sharing tools.
The survey revealed that 44% of respondents expect AI to boost productivity in their organisation. However, a third said they don’t know whether it will, suggesting a greater role for education, training and experimentation.
Culture change
The report, which also draws on expert input from senior civil servants in Global Government Forum’s network, finds that the productivity challenge facing government organisations is significant and complex, concluding: “Addressing this requires a multifaceted approach that leverages the latest technology while also taking into account human and organisational factors.
“An essential foundation is for government organisations to create a culture for innovation – whether that is empowering staff to work in new ways or providing permission and guardrails so that teams can experiment with technologies such as AI which offer significant potential to boost productivity.”
Read the full report: Solving the public services productivity puzzle: Exclusive insights from civil servants on the power of innovation
About Sarah Wray
Sarah has over 15 years’ experience as a journalist with a specialism in the public sector and topics such as digitalisation and climate action. Sarah was formerly the editor of Cities Today and Smart Cities World, as well as a specialist video-based publication in the aerospace sector. She has also written for publications including Smart Cities Dive, Mobile Europe, Mobile World Live and Computer Weekly.
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