The current sociological landscape is defined by a significant decline in trust toward institutions and global leadership. As a result, there is a visible shift toward localism, where individuals prioritise relationships with smaller, more tangible entities. This movement suggests that for leaders to be effective today, they must move beyond mere competence and focus on character and consultative processes that bring stakeholders along on a shared journey.

In the workplace, this distrust is compounded by the complexities of ageism, which often impacts both Gen Z and Baby Boomers through different forms of bias. While younger generations seek greater agency, older generations navigate a rapidly evolving digital environment. To foster a cohesive culture, leaders must pivot from viewing diversity as a source of friction to leveraging it as a tool for innovation. By pairing the energy of youth with the wisdom of experience, organisations can move toward a model of generational cohesion that values the human element over systemic labels.

Download our infographic on the different generations in the workforce: https://mccrindle.com.au/resource/infographic/worker-profiles-infographic/

Access McCrindle Plus here: https://mccrindle.com.au/mccrindle-plus/

Once upon a time people used to worry about overpopulation. Now, the opposite is happening. Australia’s birth rate has dropped to a record low, but it isn't just an Australian story, it's a global shift of a population plateau.

Second, we explore the "Retention Revolution." With Gen Z now averaging 18 jobs across 6 careers, the traditional leadership pipeline is breaking. How do you lead a team when the average tenure is shorter than ever?

Download the Generational Worker Profiles infographic here: https://mccrindle.com.au/resource/infographic/worker-profiles-infographic/

Access McCrindle Plus here: https://mccrindle.com.au/mccrindle-plus/

To lead well into the future, we must first understand the pulse of the present. This year, we’re doing things differently at The Future Report, intersecting McCrindle’s latest research with the current events shaping our world.

Join Sophie Renton and Geoff Brailey as they explore the defining trends of 2026. They discuss the ‘Personality Premium’ and the growing need for authentic, human-centred leadership in an era of declining institutional trust. They also tackle the complex narrative of ‘Hope Under Strain' looking at how Australians are navigating housing stress and global unrest with a tempered but persistent optimism.

This episode provides the stats and reflections you need to future-proof your organisation.

Although we’re futurists by trade, we know that the future only makes sense when it’s grounded in the past.

Looking back gives us context, clarity, and some really useful clues about what might lie ahead.

To wrap up season 17 (and 2025!), our host, Ashley Fell, sits down with McCrindle’s Managing Director, Sophie Renton, to reflect on the year that’s been - the moments, movements, and megatrends that have shaped it.

Each year at McCrindle, we release our trends of the year predictions - the trends that we think will shape the year ahead.

From demographic, to technological and social trends, it’s a fascinating look into the future.

In this week's episode, our host, Ashley Fell, sits down with McCrindle’s Founder and Principal, Mark McCrindle, to discuss these trends.

The conversation about diversity often focuses on gender, culture, or background - but not always on age.

Yet ageism - whether directed at younger people seen as “too inexperienced” or older people seen as “past their prime” - can limit innovation, collaboration, and opportunities.

In this week's episode, our host, Ashley Fell, sits down with McCrindle’s Managing Director, Sophie Renton, to unpack what ageism really looks like, how it impacts individuals and organisations, and what we can do to create truly age-inclusive communities.

Gen Z, aged in their late teens and 20s today, already comprise more than a quarter of the global workforce.

But many people don’t know how to engage, attract, recruit and retain this emerging generation.

In this week's episode, our host, Ashley Fell, sits down with McCrindle’s Director of Solutions, Geoff Brailey, to discuss Gen Z at work.

Artificial Intelligence is transforming how we work, learn, create, and even connect.

But like every major shift before it, this one raises as many questions as it does opportunities.

How do we use AI to enhance human potential rather than replace it?

What skills will matter most in a world of intelligent machines?

And what does leadership look like in an era where data canthink?

In this week's episode, our podcast producer, Holly Schaaf, sits down with McCrindle's Director of Advisory and Future Report host, Ashley Fell, to discuss the AI revolution.

The dynamic between schools and families is becoming increasingly complex.

Why?

Because new generations of parents are coming through and bringing with them new communication styles, expectations and values.

So how can schools respond?

In this week's episode, our host, Ashley Fell, sits down with McCrindle's Managing Director, Sophie Renton, to share some insights into engaging the next generation of school parents.

We often hear people from different age groups claim they had it tougher than the rest - from rising costs to housing pressures, each generation argues their struggle is unique.

But what does the data actually say?

In this week's episode, our podcast producer, Holly Schaaf, sits down with social researcher and generational expert, Ashley Fell, to dig into some of McCrindle’s recent generational analysis: comparing Baby Boomers, Gen X, Gen Y and Gen Z on income, housing affordability, inflation, technology access, and more.

Language is always evolving - and for Generation Alpha, who are growing up fully immersed in digital culture, slang is more than just words.

It’s a way of connecting, creating identity, and signalling belonging online and offline.

From TikTok trends to schoolyard lingo, Gen Alpha has a whole vocabulary that might leave older generations scratching their heads - and sometimes even Gen Z a little confused!

In this week's episode, our host, Ashley Fell, sits down with two of McCrindle's Gen Z team members, Holly Schaaf and Luke Davies, to help decode this generation and their slang.