How can employers boost AI adoption?
The uptake of artificial intelligence (AI) in New Zealand remains sluggish, despite its potential to boost productivity and transform hiring processes, according to a Randstad report.
Overall, just 20% of New Zealand workers are currently using AI in their roles, up from 11% the previous year.
This modest increase shows there is still significant progress to be made before the benefits of AI are fully realized in the workplace, says Sarah Bills, country manager at Randstad New Zealand.
“Silo-ification” when it comes to the use of the technology is one of the biggest barriers to full AI adoption, according to another expert.
Already, AI has improved the way many workers in the recruitment field do their work, Bills says.
In fact, 39% of workers say AI has had a positive effect on their job, according to Randstad's study based on a survey of 170,000 respondents. Far fewer say that the technology has had a negative impact on their line of work.
“AI has really transformed that in a way [by] enhancing the efficiency in the way they do things.”
She says that many are using it to:
- enhance their recruitment approach
- enhance the initial screening
- screen a lot of candidates and reduce man hours doing that
- improve the way they do assessments via online tests or behaviour assessments that can deepen their insight into the candidate's skills and qualifications
With this, however, she notes a growing importance of maintaining transparency in the process.
Recently, Air New Zealand announced that it is teaming up with the developers of ChatGPT to expand the use of artificial intelligence across the airline.
The importance of human interaction
Bills notes that even applicants are using AI, banking on the technology to write their cover letters.
With this, it’s important for recruiters to know that assessing the cover letter is only one part of the process.
Despite AI’s benefits, Bills emphasised the importance of maintaining human interaction in recruitment, stating that phone calls and direct engagement with candidates remain crucial. She also addressed the use of AI-automated preliminary interviews, saying these can be useful as a first step, provided they do not replace genuine human engagement.
“AI-generated interviews are a tool, but they shouldn’t take away from the human interaction,” she says.
As organisations in Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) rapidly adopt AI, the need for robust human oversight remains paramount, according to a leading cybersecurity expert.
Bills also urged HR leaders to invest in upskilling their teams and to foster a culture of curiosity and continuous learning to promote the use of AI.
“Put skills at the centre. Make sure your people have the skills to embrace AI, because it’s going to be embedded into every aspect of information and technology,” she said. She advocated for a multi-faceted approach to training, combining formal courses with informal, team-led learning opportunities.
Nearly half of hiring leaders across New Zealand are looking for new skills from candidates in the wake of artificial intelligence adoption, according to a previous report.
