AI agents to revolutionize public sector HR and finance

Speakers at the Workday Elevate event highlighted how AI will revolutionize government by streamlining processes, driving analytics-based decisions, and improving service delivery. The event, titled Taking the public sector forever forward in the age of AI, explored global public management trends and AI use cases.

AI in HR: From Manual to Strategic

• Dominic Chia, Workday’s Principal HCM Solution Consultant, showcased how AI agents can automate HR tasks like job description creation, candidate shortlisting, and interview scheduling.
• AI reduces manual effort, allowing HR managers to focus on strategic support.
• Humans remain in the loop for final decisions, but AI speeds up traditionally slow processes.

Policy Compliance Made Easy

• Rowan Miranda, Workday’s Managing Director, emphasized AI’s role in policy compliance.
• AI agents can ingest policy documents and generate FAQs or answer specific queries, making compliance easier.
• Contract intelligence tools can analyze government contracts to identify risks and optimize pricing.
• Earlier coverage by GovInsider highlighted AI’s potential in policy analysis.

Global Public Management Trends

1. Citizen Experience (CX): Governments like Singapore and Australia are digitizing services to improve citizen engagement and voluntary compliance (e.g., taxation).
2. Skills-Based Hiring: Moving away from degree-based hiring to skills-based talent strategies, enabled by AI-driven human capital management systems.
3. Analytics-Driven Decisions: Governments are leveraging data for better decision-making.
4. Shared Services: Expanding use of shared services to improve efficiency.

Key Takeaways

• Global Innovation: No single country dominates, but Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand lead.
• Tech is Key: Advancements in public management rely on information technology.
• AI’s Impact: AI is already transforming governments and will remain a permanent technology.

Sarah Choe, Workday’s Head of Public Sector in Singapore, praised the government’s proactive approach: "We don't just talk about the future, but we proactively work towards it." Workday serves governments in Australia, Malaysia, the UK, Canada, and the US, driving public sector transformation worldwide.

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