Hari Hara Priya Kannan
Speaking Topics
Hari is Chief Data Scientist with The Demographics Group. She is also a contributor to The Australian’s “Real Commercial” supplement. Hari brings evidence-based insight to her presentations on Australian (and global) demographic trends and their implications for business and government.
Hari presents on-stage, in boardrooms, via Zoom/Teams and is happy to do Q&A with the audience. Below is a list of her speaking topics. Hari takes a detailed client briefing to ensure that presentations are well targeted.
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Demand Is Shifting — Everywhere
Across many sectors, demand no longer behaves the way forecasts expect, with growth emerging in unexpected places while traditional markets soften or fragment.
Life stages, ageing and household change are quietly reshaping how and where spending shows up across the economy.
For organisations, the challenge is recognising where future demand will come from before legacy assumptions harden into poor decisions.
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The Future Workforce and Skills
Workforce pressure is persisting across industries, even as economic conditions fluctuate and policy settings shift.
Ageing workforces, participation constraints and skills mismatch interact over time, making many shortages resistant to short-term fixes.
Planning becomes more effective when labour availability is treated as a structural constraint rather than a temporary disruption.
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Migration Is Driving Population Churn
Australia’s population growth is increasingly defined by movement rather than permanent settlement, altering how growth is experienced on the ground.
Temporary migration now shapes workforce supply, housing demand and service pressure in complex and uneven ways.
Understanding migration through the lens of churn helps leaders anticipate volatility as well as capacity.
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Consumers Are Harder to Predict
Consumer behaviour increasingly appears inconsistent, with loyalty weakening and familiar life-stage patterns breaking down.
Delayed milestones, smaller households and changing family structures are fragmenting demand across products and services.
Clearer insight emerges when behaviour is interpreted through population change rather than short-term sentiment.
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Housing Pressure Is Persistent
Housing affordability and access remain unresolved across much of the country, despite sustained policy focus and construction activity.
Population growth, household formation and location mismatch continue to outpace supply responses.
Long-term outcomes improve only when housing is viewed through demographic drivers rather than short market cycles.
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Regions and Cities Are Diverging
Headline growth figures increasingly mask what is happening across different parts of the country.
Population change is driving divergence between cities, suburbs and regions, shaping opportunity and constraint in unequal ways.
Strategic decisions are stronger when growth is assessed by place rather than averages.ere
