Hiring becoming harder amid skills mismatch, finds survey of HR professionals

Jobseekers hearing back less often from recruiters – despite applying to more jobs

Hiring becoming harder amid skills mismatch, finds survey of HR professionals

Hiring employees is getting harder in the Asia-Pacific region as HR professionals observe a skills mismatch between applicants and role requirements.

This is according to new LinkedIn research, which surveyed around 30,000 HR professionals and consumer respondents across the world, including APAC.

The report found that 61% of HR professionals in APAC found it harder to find qualified talent in the last year, with 24% saying they spent three to five hours a day going through applications.

Despite this, 64% of HR professionals said less than half of the job applications they received met all of the criteria listed in the role.

The findings come as 41% of jobseekers in the LinkedIn report noted that they are hearing back less from recruiters despite applying to more jobs than ever.

"It's natural that companies have been finding it harder to find the talent they need — especially when you consider that many of the fastest-growing job roles we see today didn't even exist 20 years ago," said Sumita Tandon, HR Director, APAC, LinkedIn, in a statement.

"However, ensuring you have the right people, with the right skills, in the right roles will be crucial for a business's success in the years to come."

Top issues in hiring

The top issue that HR professionals found during hiring is a mismatch between the skills jobseekers have and the skills their organisation needs (67%).

Around half of them also said finding candidates with the right technical (52%) and soft (48%) skills was some of the top challenges they face.

The findings follow a recent report from the World Economic Forum that said the skills gap in the labour market is the top barrier for Singaporean organisations when it comes to business transformation.

These issues will likely be influenced by generative AI, with LinkedIn data suggesting that by 2030, 70% of the skills required for jobs in APAC will change because of the technology.

To address the current hiring issues, 54% of hiring professionals in APAC said they would need access to AI-powered hiring technologies. In fact, 78% of them said AI will make it easier to find qualified candidates.

More than three in four HR professionals (78%) also said their organisation is prioritising upskilling initiatives this year to mitigate emerging skills gaps.

"It's great to see businesses taking an intentional and proactive approach on navigating these workplace changes — whether that's by investing in AI-powered hiring tools to supercharge recruiting efforts, or prioritising upskilling initiatives to build the skills their organisation needs from within," Tandon said.