02 July 2024

Adopting AI tools in the public sector could save up to 23 million hours of administrative tasks each week according to a new report from Microsoft, Goldsmiths University and Symmetry.

The key findings offer significant time saving benefits for workers, especially high impact professionals like doctors and teachers, saving approximately four hours per week.

45% of public sector workers report being overwhelmed by unnecessary administrative tasks, impacting their mental health and job satisfaction.

“The incoming government needs to emphasise boosting public sector efficiency, streamlining the day-to-day work of staff and cutting down on the average of eight hours of admin each week to allow them to focus on higher value projects. Adopting AI tools to automate data collection, management and analysis, for example, is a great way to relieve the admin burden on staff and optimise their productivity,” said Michael Thornton, senior director of public sector at Investigo, part of The IN Group. “When looking to implement AI tools, departments should take a smarter approach to interim versus consultancy staff. Bringing in staff with specialised AI skill sets can streamline the delivery of AI adoption projects, while also keeping costs down.”

Half said that high admin workloads are compromising the quality of service they provide and limiting the time they can spend with the public and more than half said the volume of admin work is having a negative impact on their ability to actually do their job.

“AI should be central to enhancing efficiency, and investment is crucial for successful tech projects that boost productivity and growth nationwide,” said Libero Rapsa, director of adesso UK.