As revealed by the 2018 Deloitte Human Capital Trends report, nearly 38% of organisations are now using artificial intelligence (AI) recruitment solutions as more data about prospective employees becomes available through social networking sites like LinkedIn. As a result, management and procurement staff can automate the data-heavy aspects of the hiring process.

Expert feedback

Speaking at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OEDC) 2018 forum, several experts stated that AI could make the entire recruitment process more efficient for both employers and candidates. As there are so many job offers and applicants per position, organisations need to streamline their selection processes to get the best candidate shortlist. This is where AI can help, making the entire process more efficient and transparent.

A report published in 2015 by Glassdoor Economic Research revealed that organisations with less than 1,000 staff members take an average of 22 days to hire the right professional. Traditional methods of recruitment are plagued by in repetitive tasks and intense data processing, which makes it difficult for employers to identify the right candidates from a large pool of applicants.

Experts believe that using AI to automate the sourcing of resumes from databases can enable recruiters to focus on those tasks that computers cannot perform, like engaging with candidates.

The Naysayers

However, there are some recruitment specialists, who are worried about AI doing away with face-to-face interactions.

Sara Amaro Pais, a technical advisor, said that recruiters work with people and hence, there is no need to let computers take over any part of the recruitment process.

This was countered by Rihards Kols, member of the Latvian parliament, who stated that the final decision to hire a professional will not lie with an AI system but will remain in human hands.

However, Pais also pointed out that because AI uses historical data programmed by humans, this increases the chances of bias and therefore the technology must be carefully monitored. Kols agreed with this, adding that there should be international regulations to minimise the chances of recruitment bias.

The verdict

Without a doubt, AI has the potential to transform hiring processes, especially in procurement recruitment. This technology is already developing in the procurement industry but will need to be coupled with human intervention to source résumés, reduce costs and streamline the recruitment process.

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