The landscape of recruitment in the APAC region is undergoing a seismic shift with the advent of AI, and the insights from Hays‘ latest analysis as reported on in TALiNT International are nothing short of a clarion call for the industry as detailed by Marc Burrage. It’s fascinating to see that more than half of job seekers are now using AI tools like ChatGPT and Bing to aid their job hunts – this is a clear indicator of the digital dexterity that candidates are bringing to the table, and it’s a trend that’s reshaping the recruitment and talent acquisition narrative.
However, the adoption of AI in recruitment processes by employers is still nascent – as seen by only a modest 17% employing AI in a limited capacity. This is where we need to take a leaf out of the book of the frontrunners in the global HR technology space. Companies like Zillow have leveraged AI to enhance diversity in hiring and to give recruiters the bandwidth to focus on the human aspects of their work, such as relationship-building and strategic decision-making. Unilever’s partnership with Pymetrics is another prime example, where AI-driven platforms have been instrumental in increasing the diversity of their new hires by a significant margin.
The adoption of AI in recruitment processes by employers is still nascent – as seen by only a modest 17% employing AI in a limited capacity
The reluctance of some organisations to fully embrace AI can be attributed to the lack of a standardised regulatory framework, and concerns over the potential loss of the personal touch in recruitment. Yet, I do personally believe that the transformative potential of AI in recruitment is too great to ignore! It’s about striking the right balance between technological efficiency and human insight to arrive at a balanced medium.
The ethical dimension of AI in recruitment cannot be overstated, particularly when it comes to biases in AI-powered tools. A significant 26.6% of employers who use AI do not actively assess these biases, which is a gap that must be addressed with urgency. The development of a robust regulatory framework and the establishment of best practices for AI-use in recruitment are critical steps towards creating a more inclusive and fair hiring process, with automation at scale.
In light of these developments, I’m always keen to understand how organisations are navigating this new terrain? What steps are organisations taking to prepare for the increased integration of AI in recruitment, based on the insights from Hays’ latest recruitment trends analysis in Malaysia? I’m open ears to everyone’s opinion, as it’s not going away and the quicker we embrace and understand this seismic change, the more we will understand our (human) role in it all.
