The economic climate has many small businesses making tough decisions to stay afloat. 

Strong inflationary pressures and a drop in consumer demand has meant costs are sky high for many businesses.

Requests for redundancy and restructuring support has surged by 50% this year and liquidations are up 500%.

Small Business Voice CEO Max Whitehead told Tim Dower this just proves how hard it is for small businesses at the moment. 

He says while economists are saying things are getting better that isn't what they're feeling on the bottom floor.

LISTEN ABOVE

The economic climate has many small businesses making tough decisions to stay afloat.  
Strong inflationary pressures and a drop in consumer demand has meant costs are sky high for many businesses. 
Requests for redundancy and restructuring support has surged by 50% this year and liquidations are up 500%. 
Small Business Voice CEO Max Whitehead told Tim Dower this just proves how hard it is for small businesses at the moment.  
He says while economists are saying things are getting better that isn't what they're feeling on the bottom floor. 
LISTEN ABOVE

A fresh and intelligent start to your day - catch the very latest international and domestic news developments, sport, entertainment and business on Early Edition with Ryan Bridge, on Newstalk ZB.

A fresh and intelligent start to your day - catch the very latest international and domestic news developments, sport, entertainment and business on Early Edition with Ryan Bridge, on Newstalk ZB.

Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

Max Whitehead: Small Business Voice CEO on rising requests for redundancy and restructuring support

Climate policies for farmers may be revealing a competitive gap.  

New research by Beef + Lamb suggests there should be a focus on incentives for farmers who achieve climate change outcomes.  

Chair Kate Acland told Ryan Bridge we need to keep an eye on what the rest of the world's doing.  

She says most of the world doesn't have agricultural-specific targets, but a lot of countries are incentivising farmers to reach any kind of reduction. 

LISTEN ABOVE 

Climate policies for farmers may be revealing a competitive gap. &nbsp;
New research by Beef + Lamb suggests there should be a focus on incentives for farmers who achieve climate change outcomes. &nbsp;
Chair Kate Acland told Ryan Bridge we need to keep an eye on what the rest of the world's doing. &nbsp;
She says most of the world doesn't have agricultural-specific targets, but a lot of countries are incentivising farmers to reach any kind of reduction.&nbsp;
LISTEN ABOVE&nbsp;

Kate Acland: Beef + Lamb NZ Chair on the research finding incentives could help farmers reduce emissions

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/d492e03a-db32-47d0-80bb-b451000434bf/transcript

The AI and robot takeover isn't coming, it's here. Well, sort of. 

A bunch of data's come out on this over the past few days. 

Seek says job ads mentioning AI have doubled in the past year, up 4.1% from March to April. 

Nicola Willis reckons AI tools will help shave 9000 odd jobs off the public service in the next four years. 

Meta has this morning started firing 10% of its workforce, around 8000 workers in the first round, to make way for AI tools. 

The workers are so brassed off, a bunch of them are signing petitions demanding that Zuckerberg NOT collect their computer-use data. 

That data is being used to train the AI models that will replace them. Their work is being copied and pasted into a bot that will soon replace them. 

A petition will not stop this. Nothing will stop business becoming more efficient. 

Resistance is, in this case, futile. 

In some cases, new technology is being used to plug gaps, rather than create them. 

And this is the irony of the new workforce, which is not human labour, but technology: it cuts both ways. 

Take China, for example. Their problem is not a shortage of jobs but of workers. The ageing population and lack of babies is about to hurt their factories. 

They're going to lose 37 million workers in the next ten years. That's a few holes to fill in mega-factories. 

Enter humanoid robots. Barclays, the British bank, reckons 60% of those jobs will be performed by humanoid robots inside the next ten years. 

Basically, there's more chance your next new colleague will be a bot or an AI tool than ever before. 

Either learn to get along and play nice with them, or they'll replace you. 

The AI and robot takeover isn't coming, it's here. Well, sort of.&nbsp;
A bunch of data's come out on this over the past few days.&nbsp;
Seek says job ads mentioning AI have doubled in the past year, up 4.1% from March to April.&nbsp;
Nicola Willis reckons AI tools will help shave 9000 odd jobs off the public service in the next four years.&nbsp;
Meta has this morning started firing 10% of its workforce, around 8000 workers in the first round, to make way for AI tools.&nbsp;
The workers are so brassed off, a bunch of them are signing petitions demanding that Zuckerberg NOT collect their computer-use data.&nbsp;
That data is being used to train the AI models that will replace them. Their work is being copied and pasted into a bot that will soon replace them.&nbsp;
A petition will not stop this. Nothing will stop business becoming more efficient.&nbsp;
Resistance is, in this case, futile.&nbsp;
In some cases, new technology is being used to plug gaps, rather than create them.&nbsp;
And this is the irony of the new workforce, which is not human labour, but technology: it cuts both ways.&nbsp;
Take China, for example. Their problem is not a shortage of jobs but of workers. The ageing population and lack of babies is about to hurt their factories.&nbsp;
They're going to lose 37 million workers in the next ten years. That's a few holes to fill in mega-factories.&nbsp;
Enter humanoid robots. Barclays, the British bank, reckons 60% of those jobs will be performed by humanoid robots inside the next ten years.&nbsp;
Basically, there's more chance your next new colleague will be a bot or an AI tool than ever before.&nbsp;
Either learn to get along and play nice with them, or they'll replace you.&nbsp;

Ryan Bridge: The AI takeover isn't coming, it's here

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/2bc5860c-6d9e-4548-b5bc-b4510000f3e8/transcript

More encouraging signs in the job market despite global uncertainty and fuel concerns. 

Fresh Seek employment data shows job ads rose 0.8% in April, up 13% year-on-year. 

The Employers and Manufacturers' Association's Alan McDonald told Ryan Bridge after last year's tariffs, momentum had been building before the Middle East conflict escalated. 

He says the export sector is still going strong, so at least something is holding up these numbers. 

LISTEN ABOVE 

More encouraging signs in the job market despite global uncertainty and fuel concerns.&nbsp;
Fresh Seek employment data shows job ads rose 0.8% in April, up 13% year-on-year.&nbsp;
The Employers and Manufacturers' Association's Alan McDonald told Ryan Bridge after last year's tariffs, momentum had been building before the Middle East conflict escalated.&nbsp;
He says the export sector is still going strong, so at least something is holding up these numbers.&nbsp;
LISTEN ABOVE&nbsp;

Alan McDonald: Employers and Manufacturers' Association Head of Advocacy and Strategy on the 13% increase in job ads

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/fe5afb2b-ef5f-4097-894e-b45100008ada/transcript

Max Whitehead: Small Business Voice CEO on rising requests for redundancy and restructuring support

In 1 playlist(s)

Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

Social links

Follow podcast

Recent clips