New iCIMS Research Launched at UNLEASH World Reveals 99% of Recruiters in the UK Embrace AI in Their Workflows and Are Saving Hours a Week

The iCIMS UK 2024 Talent Experience Report uncovers how AI is rewriting the candidate and recruiter experience

UNLEASH World, iCIMS released its second annual UK Talent Experience Report, uncovering that 99% of recruiters in the United Kingdom (UK) are leveraging artificial intelligence (AI). Top use cases include finding candidates, matching skills, summarising resumes and drafting candidate communications.

Informed by proprietary data from the iCIMS platform and a survey of 500 UK-based talent acquisition professionals, the new report uncovers the sentiment, roadblocks, fears, and outlook of TA pros and recruiters within the UK and how those views stack up globally. The report also compares trends and expectations across the UK, France and the US.

Hiring top talent is a competitive sport, and iCIMS survey data proves that leveraging AI is helping recruiters stay ahead of the curve. Recruiters revealed AI is saving them an average of two and a half hours a week. However, 41% fear AI will make their role obsolete, and when it comes to candidates leveraging AI, 98% say they are concerned about candidates’ use of AI during the application and interview processes. Earlier this year, iCIMS unveiled research based on a survey of CHROs, who also confirmed that AI was becoming a crucial part of the HR toolkit, with ethics and fairness at the core.

“Hiring the right talent is more of a commitment than ever before and creating positive and personalised talent experiences is easier said than done – but, the right AI can help TA pros operate more efficiently and complement their skills,” said Amandine Reitz, EMEA HR Manager at iCIMS. “Candidates and recruiters alike will continue to experiment with emerging tech and develop best practises and appropriate use cases through trial and error.”

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Additional findings from the iCIMS 2024 UK Talent Experience Report:

• Recruiters continue to weigh the risks and benefits of AI. The UK shows the highest enthusiasm for increased AI use with 72% of TA pros reporting they would like to see more AI leveraged throughout the recruiting process, followed by the US (64%) and France (60%). The desire to implement tech is even higher in industries such as construction (85%), healthcare (79%) and manufacturing (74%). TA pros are leveraging AI to summarise resumes (34%), match skills to job openings (33%), match former candidates to open roles (33%) and draft candidate communications (31%). While the UK is bullish on incorporating more AI, concerns persist. Worries around AI in recruitment are the most prevalent in the UK (84%), followed by France (75%) and the US (67%). Choosing trustworthy tech vendors that prioritize data protection, privacy and compliance goals are crucial, as organisations navigate changing regulations across regions.
• Younger generations are flooding the applicant pool. Millennial and Gen Z workers are on the rise in EMEA, with iCIMS data finding that a bulk (~70%) of people applying for jobs are under the age of 35. This number grows and continues to skew younger when looking at several large European countries, with most applicants across the UK, Italy, Germany and France under 25.
• Make way for Gen Alpha, but don’t forget about older candidates. Globally, 94% of TA pros are preparing for Gen Alpha to enter the workforce. In Europe, 52% are planning how their recruitment may differ and 41% explicitly have a different approach in place to attract younger talent. Despite the focus of preparing for Gen Alpha, 64% of recruiters globally are actively recruiting workers 55+. The US leads with 72% of TA professionals actively recruiting this demographic, followed by the UK (65%) and France (55%). Concerns about ageism in the hiring process are universal, with 26% of global TA professionals citing it as a major concern.
• Women become top targets for TA Pros. There were 75,000 more women aged 16 and over in the UK who were employed from October to December 2023 than in the year before, according to the Office for National Statistics’ latest UK Labour Force Survey, representing 16 million women. This steady increase in representation is not by happenstance: the iCIMS survey confirmed 77% of TA professionals globally have taken specific steps to attract female talent.

“This data paints a clear picture of how workforce dynamics are evolving in the United Kingdom, further empowering HR leaders to refine their TA strategies and rethink how they leverage technology to meet today’s expectations,” Reitz added.

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