iHire has published its 2025 State of Online Recruiting Report, offering a detailed look at how artificial intelligence (AI), job boards, and shifting labor dynamics are shaping the hiring landscape. Based on survey responses from 1,421 job seekers and 529 employers across 57 industries in the United States, the findings spotlight AI’s explosive adoption, the resilience of job boards, and strategies employers are using to address persistent talent shortages.
AI adoption in recruitment increased 428.7% since 2023.
25.9% of employers currently use AI for hiring tasks.
Job boards remain central: 68.6% of employers rely on them for most hires.
Employers want job boards with AI-powered tools and communication features.
Skills gaps and recession fears drive employers to embrace alternative hiring methods.
42.3% promoted internally—a 150% year-over-year increase.
The report highlights a sharp rise in AI adoption among employers, with usage climbing from 4.9% in 2023 to 25.9% in 2025. AI tools are most commonly applied in writing job ads (73.0%), composing candidate messages (68.6%), sending candidate communications (49.6%), and screening resumes (32.1%).
Despite this growth, 24.4% of employers remain wary, voicing concerns about fraudulent or fake candidates generated through AI.
Job boards continue to play a central role in recruitment. Nearly 69% of employers conduct most of their hiring via job boards, and nearly one-third expect reliance to increase in the coming year. Employers now seek more than just job postings, calling for features like prescreening questions (44.6%), interview scheduling (26.3%), talent pipelining (25.5%), and AI-driven job ad optimization (29.3%).
Economic slowdowns and widening skills gaps have pushed employers toward innovative hiring solutions. In 2025, 42.3% of employers promoted existing staff instead of hiring externally—a dramatic rise compared to 16.9% in 2024. Other strategies included tapping into talent pipelines (36.9%), rehiring former employees (30.8%), and upskilling/reskilling staff (27.8%).
“Employers and job seekers are navigating a fast-evolving recruitment landscape, where AI is reshaping how connections are made,” said Steve Flook, iHire’s President and CEO. “At the same time, the job board and online recruiting space has been undergoing some turbulence, and platforms like iHire that are continually adapting to user needs and pivoting quickly are best positioned to grab greater market share. Our annual report showcases these industry changes and offers data-driven advice for optimizing online recruitment and turning to innovative strategies and channels to fill in gaps.”
The survey also sheds light on job seekers’ experiences. Ghosting was cited by 59.0% of candidates as a major obstacle, while 39.3% struggled with fake or “ghost” job postings. Nearly half (48.2%) anticipated age discrimination affecting their career growth, and 29.3% admitted to using AI tools for resume or cover letter creation. Meanwhile, employers expect to see an uptick in skills-based hiring over traditional degree requirements in 2025.
Research Methodology
iHire surveyed 1,421 job seekers and 529 employers across the U.S. and from 57 industries in July 2025 via the Qualtrics XM platform. Respondents came from iHire's job seeker and employer databases. All decimal points are rounded to the nearest tenth. For many questions, multiple answers could be selected, so percentages add up to a sum greater than 100%. In some instances, survey questions were skipped by an individual respondent.
About iHire
iHire is a leading employment platform that powers a family of 57 industry-focused talent networks, including WorkInSports, iHireVeterinary, iHireDental, iHireConstruction, and iHireChefs. For more than 20 years, iHire has combined advanced job matching technology with our expertise in the talent acquisition space to connect job seekers with employers in their desired sector.
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