Even with the increasing challenge of finding suitable talent, 71% of recruiters in India acknowledge that artificial intelligence (AI) has been instrumental in identifying candidates possessing skills that might have been overlooked previously, as per a recent report. The study, conducted by professional networking platform LinkedIn and encompassing 6,554 global HR professionals, highlights the significant role of AI in enabling recruiters to pinpoint the right skills and expedite the hiring process.
The report reveals that approximately 80% of recruiters find it easier to assess a candidate’s skills with the aid of AI. Moreover, 76% of them believe that AI is currently accelerating the recruitment process. Indian recruiters, in particular, are looking to enhance their utilization of AI to bolster their hiring objectives, assess applicants, and attract top talent.
A majority of these recruiters intend to expand their AI usage for various purposes, including supporting hiring goals, evaluating candidates, and identifying top talent. Additionally, they plan to leverage AI more extensively for pre-screening interviews in the coming years, anticipating benefits such as more meaningful recruiter-candidate interactions, a swifter hiring experience, and deeper insights into candidates.
Ruchee Anand, APAC VP of LinkedIn Talent Solutions, emphasized the shift in hiring dynamics from traditional metrics like pedigree and job titles to a focus on demonstrated skills and capabilities. Anand highlighted the pivotal role of AI in streamlining the recruitment process by enabling early identification of the right skills, reducing screening obstacles, and ensuring a more uniform and equitable evaluation process.
Recruiters are currently grappling with a scarcity of qualified candidates, despite a 40% surge in hiring activity in India compared to pre-pandemic levels. The mismatch between the volume of applications and their quality is a key challenge, with over half of recruiters attributing this difficulty to an influx of AI-generated applications and a persistent shortage of sought-after skills.
As AI integration in recruitment deepens, candidates are increasingly seeking transparency in hiring decisions. A significant proportion of recruiters in India (50%) feel compelled to clarify the role of AI in their recruitment processes, particularly in screening and shortlisting candidates. LinkedIn aims to address this need for transparency by developing AI tools like the Hiring Assistant, which serve as decision-support mechanisms for recruiters, facilitating quicker and more confident talent acquisition without compromising on quality or candidate experience.
