There is a new artificial intelligence (AI) tool in town, and its developers claim it can predict when employees are thinking of resigning.

Managing Director of recruitment marketing agency Talent Propeller, Sharon Davies says her company is working with developers of the AI technology and how it can be implemented in New Zealand.

With around 21 percent of Kiwis switching jobs annually according to government research, this expensive task of replacing staff is an $18.5 billion problem for New Zealand.

This new AI technology will allow managers to anticipate any career movements within their workforce and give managers the opportunity to proactively approach staff to address any issues that may arise.

“This is a multi-billion dollar problem for Kiwi businesses and according to new Government research, the rate of staff transition has increased since the pandemic – as increasing numbers of employees become disillusioned with their career path and seek change,” says Davies.

“What we have learned during this time is that skill sets are more transferable between industries than first thought and that many people have taken the opportunity to move to more stable roles or to improve their employment situation in a tight labour market.”

New Zealand’s workforce has caught the eyes of international demand, and through this technology, Davies hopes that this will reduce the loss of staff to “greener pastures offshore”.

Read more: Are we ready for an artificially informed future?

This tool will be using machine learning and HR data to predict staff that are at risk of turnover, via customised algorithms that can learn patterns and triggers that may lead to an employee leaving the firm.

“AI is able to take a deeper dive into this and can more quickly identify employees at higher risk of resignation, by giving each an expected longevity rating and allowing the organisation to put in place definitive retention or recruitment strategies to mitigate disaster, which can come in the form of a mass exodus striking the firm,” she adds.

“This may give managers the opportunity to develop their employment brand and talent bank in areas of high risk, as well as incentivising staff retention through promotion, wage increases, training and progression plans.”

Through this new AI tool, Davies says this will help reduce the impact of “close-contact bias” where a manager has preconceptions about an employee, which limits their career growth but also gives them more clarity.

Davies adds that this technology is best used for organisations over 250 staff, with this requiring large amounts of data to build a clear picture of employee intentions.

“The ability to look at this proactively, rather than after the fact, creates an opportunity to instigate internal brand strategies and provides an opening to have direct discussions with specific employers at risk of leaving – potentially months in advance of their resignation,” she says.

“These conversations allow the disgruntled employers to talk about how they are feeling and what they want to get out of their role in order to retain them.”