An optimistic consensus is being felt among Australia’s design and make industries, reflected within the findings of Autodesk’s recently released Design & Make Report.

The second edition of the survey saw 451 Australian leaders and experts quizzed on their thoughts regarding the future outlook of their respective industries. Despite ongoing challenges in cost control, talent acquisition, and sustainability, there is a feeling of newfound confidence among the majority.

78 percent of respondents felt prepared for unforeseen economic or geopolitical challenges, exceeding the global average (73 percent) and reflecting a significant improvement from 2023 (63 percent).

Australian design and make businesses are also confident in their market positions. Nearly all respondents (94 percent) felt their companies were keeping pace with industry changes, and 86 percent reported exceeding expectations in the past year. However, a sense of global uncertainty persists, with 63 percent believing the landscape is shakier than three years ago.

Cost control emerged as the top challenge (32 percent), followed by attracting and retaining talent (30 percent), and environmental sustainability (29 percent). Interestingly, 18 percent of respondents identified unreliable supply chains as a concern.

Digitalisation is a bright spot, with a third of Australian companies significantly increasing investments in technology to improve project outcomes. These investments yielded positive results, including improved profitability (35 percent), better reputation (30 percent), and increased productivity and data exchange (29 percent each). Artificial intelligence (AI) is also making inroads, gradually integrating into design and making workflows.

The talent shortage remains a persistent issue. While 71 percent of leaders agreed on the importance of training and upskilling their workforce, many lack the expertise to design effective internal programs (46 percent).

Sustainability has gained significant traction. The number of leaders and experts who believe it benefits short-term businesses jumped from 53 percent in 2023 to a strong 82 percent this year.

"Australia’s architecture, engineering, construction and operations industries are evolving despite persistent issues – namely, cost controls across goods and supply chains and an ongoing skills shortage,” says Andy Cunningham, Senior Regional Director for Australia and New Zealand at Autodesk.

“In the last year, since the previous iteration of this study, local organisations are boosting their digital credentials while keeping human-led design front and centre, and pragmatically incorporating AI into day to day processes, and leaning on the cloud to open data to clients, teams and subcontractors working in the field.

“These investments are culminating in efficiencies, stronger collaboration, and creating visibility into opportunities to reduce environmental impact.”

Architecture & Design Team

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