The Josh Bersin Company, the world's most trusted HR advisory firm, has released new research in collaboration with AMS, demonstrating that jobs are not disappearing but being matched with greater intelligence through AI-enabled talent acquisition (TA) technology. This advancement is delivering 2–3x faster time to hire, stronger candidate-role matches, and unprecedented precision in sourcing.
The global market for recruiting, hiring, and staffing surpasses $850 billion and grows at 13% per year, even amid economic challenges, though strains are apparent. TA leaders are increasingly relying on AI to adapt, as it reshapes jobs, introduces new roles, skills, and AI expertise requirements. Without AI, over 20% of employees consider job changes annually, fueling demand for high-precision tools in assessment, interviewing, selection, and hiring.
Companies embracing AI hire 200-300% faster with improved accuracy and efficiency, outpacing peers despite market slowdowns. The report, "The Talent Acquisition Revolution: How AI is Transforming Recruiting," outlines benefits across the ecosystem: job seekers gain faster recognition and better fits, while employers achieve accurate, real-time, scalable recruitment.
Current hiring processes falter, with less than 17% of applicants advancing to interviews in 2024 and 60% of job seekers abandoning applications due to slow portals. AI counters these issues by automating tasks from profiling and sourcing to screening, scheduling, interviewing, and offer negotiations. Organizations report lower costs, enhanced internal mobility, and higher productivity, shifting manual work to specialized vendors.
Notable successes include a major U.S. resort operator boosting scheduled interviews by 423% and reducing candidate drop-off by 85% after deploying conversational AI. Foundever achieved 95% candidate satisfaction from over 200,000 applicants in six months with a new AI TA process, while a global automotive company saved $2 million in its first year using AI-powered interview scheduling. AI mitigates frustrations like vague job descriptions, inconsistent interviews, and labor-intensive steps, with adopters spanning hospitality, food, healthcare, and technology, including Fontainebleau Las Vegas and Compass Group.
Some teams deploy AI recruiting assistants for routine communications and negotiations, setting parameters for salary, benefits, and start dates. The AI handles questions, updates offers, and suggests alternatives in real time, shortening turnaround times and allowing recruiters to prioritize strategy. The vendor landscape evolves rapidly, with SAP acquiring SmartRecruiters and Workday acquiring Paradox for competitiveness. Key innovations encompass AI agents for full hiring automation (Eightfold AI, Maki People), conversational AI for engagement (Glider AI, Paradox, Radancy), AI-driven assessments (CodeSignal, HireVue, TaTiO), and platforms benchmarking roles against labor data (Draup, Galileo, Lightcast, Reejig, SeekOut, TechWolf).
"For decades, TA has been viewed as a cost center, focused on using applicant tracking systems to manage incoming candidates and relying on recruiters to screen and interview. This process was slow, expensive, and delivered a poor experience for job seekers.
"Today, by leveraging AI-powered platforms and integrated data, TA teams can identify, attract, and engage the best talent in the market with unparalleled precision, often before competitors even know those candidates are available—resulting in a proactive, data-driven approach that enables organizations to respond quickly to changing business needs, seize new opportunities, and fuel growth from within," said Stella Ioannidou, Report author and Josh Bersin Company Industry Analyst & Senior Research Director.
"This research paper captures the urgency and scale of the AI revolution which is transforming TA. It doesn't just reflect what's happening now, it helps us understand what's next. Candidates want speed, clarity, and connection. Recruiters need tools that free them to focus on strategy and relationships. And businesses must rethink how talent acquisition fits into their broader growth agenda. AI is not just automating tasks, it's redefining roles, workflows, and expectations across the board. The cumulative power of people, process, data and technology is heralding a new era for talent acquisition," said Gordon Stuart, Chief Executive Officer at AMS.
"AI is expected to provide CHROs with a data-rich view of talent comparable to an integrated supply chain, enabling them to track and analyze every detail of each hire with the same precision a luxury Swiss watchmaker applies to every component and its origin.
"This transition transforms HR from handcrafted processes to precision, dynamic hiring—something once unattainable without AI.
"The implications are significant for all stakeholders, particularly CEOs. Organizations that lacked a precision hiring process have historically faced millions in lost revenue, high turnover, and misaligned talent—but those days are now coming to an end," said Josh Bersin, Global industry analyst and Josh Bersin Company CEO.
This research builds on prior Josh Bersin Company findings on AI's impact on Learning & Development. The Galileo Suite offers strategic guidance and tools via its AI Agent for HR, plus hyper-personalized learning through the Galileo Learn certificate course, AI-First TA Transformation.
The Josh Bersin Company's report signals a pivotal shift in talent acquisition, empowering organizations with AI to achieve efficient, precise hiring that drives growth and mitigates longstanding inefficiencies.
AMS is a leading global provider of talent acquisition and consulting services, providing unrivalled experience, driven by technology and underpinned by innovation. We help our clients to attract, engage and retain the talent they need for business success.
We have three core areas of service: acquisition, advisory and digital, mainly delivered as an outsourced model, and spanning our clients' permanent and contingent workforce, and internal mobility requirements.
Our dedicated teams of experts are deeply embedded with our global blue-chip clients, enhancing talent acquisition processes and driving projects which align with overall strategic objectives. This relationship-driven approach is supporting our clients to redefine how they hire and retain top talent. For more, go to www.weareams.com/
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