But employers also pointed out that there were various challenges along the way
The adoption of artificial intelligence tools in hiring is delivering significant gains for recruiters with high-volume hiring demands, according to a new report, as their priorities shift to finding quality talent.
A joint report from iCIMS and the Lighthouse Research & Advisory found that AI has reduced the workload of recruiting teams in 75% of organisations.
With AI onboard, the report revealed that recruiters were able to increase qualified candidates by 300%, improved candidate conversion by 4x, and built a scalable hiring process for thousands of global frontline roles.
"That's because AI is taking on the repetitive actions that quickly get out of hand when managed manually," the report read.
AI delivered the biggest value in resume or profile screening, as noted by 50% of the report's respondents. It also benefited employers when it comes to:
- Interview scheduling and coordination (48%)
- Sourcing and talent discovery (42%)
- Workforce planning or forecasting (39%)
- Candidate communications (33%)
- Compliance or documentation (32%)
The findings come in the wake of shifting priorities for recruitment teams, as indicated by where their latest AI investment will be focused on.
According to the report, 48% of employers are actively increasing AI investment based on demonstrated results, with the priority areas being on compliance, risk, or fraud detection, as well as resume or profile screening. Other areas of focus include:
- Candidate sourcing
- Interview scheduling and coordination
- Workforce planning and forecasting
- Candidate communications and engagement
- Hiring manager enablement
- Internal mobility or redeployment
"For years, the conversation around frontline hiring centered on applicant shortages. Our research shows the challenge is changing," said Ben Eubanks, chief research officer, Lighthouse Research & Advisory.
"High-volume employers need better ways to identify who can actually do the work, move qualified talent through the process faster and make better hiring decisions at scale. The organ[i]zations pulling ahead are pairing AI with skills-based hiring to improve both selection quality and hiring speed."
Is AI adoption going smoothly?
But the widespread benefits from AI does not immediately mean that adoption was smooth for many organisations, according to the findings.
It found that 80% of all organisations that tried to adopt AI into their recruitment practices have had difficulties in doing so.
But among them, 80% said the problem was not because of the introduction of new technology, but because of people- and process-related issues. The biggest areas where friction emerged for AI-adopting recruitment teams include:
- Greater need for oversight or validation (41%)
- More tools to manage without added capacity (35%)
- Increased candidate frustration or s[c]epticism (33%)
- New bias or fairness concerns (28%)
- Increased decision fatigue (23%)
As a result, many of the recruitment teams said their operating model changed due to AI, with 49% saying the involvement of hiring managers was the biggest shift. Others said:
- Recruiter skill requirements (46%)
- Role design or responsibilities (44%)
- Process design or sequencing (37%)
- Decision ownership or escalation paths (36%)
The report underscored that incorporating AI into talent processes is not just a technology change, but also a people change.
"Friction is a natural byproduct of change, and the only way to overcome it is with a holistic approach that combines support for people, evolution of process, and adoption of technology," the report read.
"Simply purchasing technology, no matter how capable, will not lead to success."
It added that the friction showing up amid AI adoption is a "confirmation that the work underneath the surface is real."
"The employers who come out ahead over the next 12 to 18 months will be the ones who treat this moment as a chance to rebuild their approach, not just patch up what they have done all along," the report said.
