Three in four job seekers are concerned that their job application could be unfairly rejected by AI, a new survey has found.
According to the Collins McNicholas Workforce Insights Report, the majority feel that automation has made some aspects of the hiring process “impersonal and negative.”
The report also found that professionals are becoming less interested in working for a particular company due to a lack of human interaction.
Most of the advice experts give companies is to “keep it human” when it comes to hiring.
Of the 2,541 respondents, three-quarters agreed or strongly agreed that AI may be unfairly screening applications, while only one in 20 strongly disagreed.
Almost 3 in 4 people (74%) found automatic rejection emails to be impersonal and negative.
A total of 69% feel they have lost interest in working for their company due to a lack of human interaction.
Some respondents wanted their employers to use automation only at certain stages (16%) and to improve communication and feedback (14%).
Additionally, 46% disagreed that automated messages made the hiring process more efficient.
Michelle Murphy“The findings of our first Workforce Insights Report show that employers face a huge challenge in balancing the use of AI and automation to speed up the hiring process, while also ensuring applicants feel treated equally and receive a human touch that clearly communicates what they want,” said Collins McNicholas, director of recruitment agencies.
“Employers and recruitment agencies are under increasing pressure to keep up to date with advances in AI, but this report is a warning that they need to be careful about how they implement AI and where they insert it into their processes.”
The survey also found that career advancement (27%) and company culture (24%) are the top non-money priorities for people seeking new career opportunities.
Experts prioritize these over remote/work-from-home options (23%) and flexible working hours (19%).
A company’s brand is important to people looking for a job, with 71% saying they research companies comprehensively or by looking at social media.
Less than 1% said they rarely research employers before applying for a job.
Despite much talk in the media about returning to the office, 59% of companies said they have not changed their policies so far this year.
