Companies will be able to use artificial intelligence to prevent being blindsided by resignations from key staff.

The new technology allows managers to anticipate career movements before they happen.

Recruitment company Talent Propeller managing director Sharon Davies said artificial intelligence (AI) could play a crucial role in workforce planning.

"The AI can tell you 'Mary who works in this team has a 50 percent chance of leaving her role within three months'," Davies said.

"With that sort of information it gives you a lot of insight to then take action and ponder what you what like to do with from there - whether you would like to sit down and have a conversation with Mary.

"The data is also overlaid with predictions. So for example 'if you promote Mary it would reduce the risk by x percent'.

"Or if you would offer a salary increase you could retain this person for x percent longer."

The technology analyses existing data in a company's HR platform such as salary levels, performance reviews, and people's individual role, their age and their ethnicity.

By customising algorithms to individual organisations the AI can predict common patterns and triggers that lead to staff heading for the door.

Davies said there were no privacy concerns and the AI programme could in no way access web browsing data.

"If you are an employee you are in a payroll system who are in an HR system, it's information that's already there," she said.

While it will save time for the human resources staff, it will not take their jobs.

"The other thing to remember about AI is that it's speeding up what a human can do," she said.

"The difference with AI is that is does it a lot faster, it's about running data faster."

Davies said the tech was best suited to organisations with over 250 staff as it requires large amounts of data to build a clear picture of employee intentions.

This story was originally published by RNZ