Despite all technology progress Josh Bersin is adamant that people will remain at the heart of the talent world. Here he discusses the current and future impact of AI on the TA function with The HR World’s Head of Content, Simon Kent.
In The Josh Bersin Company’s recent report ‘The Talent Acquisition Revolution: How AI is Transforming Recruiting’ the TA function is clearly positioned as becoming AI first – with professionals using the technology to create the very best experience for businesses and candidates alike. Traditional recruiting isn’t working, says the report, noting only 17% of applicants received interviews in 2024 and 60% abandoned slow application processes. AI, on the other hand, was found to drive 2–3x faster hiring, stronger candidate quality and sharper targeting. Companies that are joining this AI revolution, says the Company, hire with greater accuracy and efficiency than their peers, despite the job market slowdown.
Bersin himself doesn’t see this development as a remarkable stride forward, characterising it instead as “a continuum from the hand crafted, face-to-face relationship to more and more precision recruiting.” The TA function has always been home to copious amounts of data and information and there is little surprise that technology has spotted an opportunity to work with this part of the HR process. Bersin emphasises the remarkable amount of data that now exists around bringing jobs and candidates together, at one point noting: “There’s so much people data now that’s been consolidated, that an AI system knows all about you before it even meets you.”
But while talent acquisition may be being led by technology it certainly doesn’t mean technology is going to replace human professional. It does, however, mean those professionals need to evolve their roles to make the most of the opportunities the technology offers.
A challenging market
Bersin is nothing if not pragmatic. He believes some aspects of the technology are being oversold and this can make it difficult for HR to understand what they can trust and what technology they should take on board.
All sorts of entrepreneurs who don’t know anything about HR love TA
The other issue is that the technology industry is, says Bersin “brutally competitive”. He estimates that for every 100 vendors who enter the market with a great new idea, only a few can still be found trading 5-10 years later – the rest have been bought out or have bitten the dust. “All sorts of entrepreneurs who don’t know anything about HR love TA,” says Bersin, “and they always think they have a great idea. So the TA guys are being barraged by a flood of ideas.”
That’s not to say some of the ideas aren’t very good indeed. “There is clear benefit to sectors such as hospitality and those where candidates are required in high volume,” says Bersin, “But there’s also a place for the technology to find specifically skilled individuals – if you need to find a specifically skilled engineer for example, AI can help you find that precise person.” Not only that, but the technology can swiftly make you a specialist in your field. The right search will flag similar job opportunities in the current market as well as the people already carrying out those jobs. In a short space of time users can understand the talent landscape in any particular field and know where to go and who to approach if they want someone who can do the job.
The strategic TA function
Armed with this kind of technology, the TA function can become very strategic and increase the value they bring to their organisations. Bersin is aware that currently TA is viewed as a ‘fulfilment centre’ and as such is usually identified as a cost centre. His company’s research found as many as 75% of TA functions within businesses are involved in workplace planning, a sign, he says, of wasted opportunity. With a more engaged and informed TA function employers can be far more efficient in their talent use and hiring strategies. After all, the talent may already exist within their business, or perhaps the job they are trying to fill will actually be redesigned (through the impact of AI?) therefore making it less than desirable to fill right now. Use of the right tools – AI or not – and the right analytical approach, will give organisations the insight they need into how to manage their talent most appropriately, and getting that right means creating and supporting effective TA.
And while there’s a clear benefit to businesses from taking this more focussed approach, Bersin expects a better deal for candidates too. “At the moment 60-70% of candidates never get anything back from their recruitment experience,” he says. “AI means you can get something.” Bersin notes how AI and related technology enable candidates to be screened and given feedback as soon as they apply: “In some of the more sophisticated processes the assessment is so highly tuned that during the application process you can do a simulation of the job itself and then you know what you’re qualified for and if you’re a good fit,” notes Josh.
how organisations hire people is focussed on – or should be focussed on – bigger issues than the availability of technology.
Of course the same technology that it helping recruiters is also generating a headache in some areas. The ease with which candidates can apply for positions – and use AI to help them – means employers can be inundated with applications, and those candidates don’t always have relevance to the vacancies they’re trying to fill. At least with technology on their side, recruiters can even offer initial automated interviews for those who are genuinely interested in working for their organisations – and that can be offered at any time if conducted online.
The necessary recruiter
In the midst of this automation and AI, Bersin sees the recruiter still standing, providing a crucial service to recognise the needs of their employers. He believes individual recruiters are very much switched on to the possibilities while the organisations they work for are less ready to take things forward in a productive way.
Moreover, how the TA function adapts to the technology and behaves in the future may be as individual as each company. He cites the diversity found among two similar businesses where one was focussed on getting cultural fit right for their new hires compared to another which was focussed purely on reducing cost of hire. Both companies have laudable intentions, both were clearly using AI in different ways, but trying to compare the worth of each AI use is practically impossible as they have radically different intentions. Ultimately, says Bersin, how organisations hire people is focussed on – or should be focussed on – bigger issues than the availability of technology.
Perhaps because of this Bersin doesn’t believe technology will take further ground from recruiters or TA. Despite the current debate around AGI he doesn’t believe AI will “become a person” or replace the need for human input.
“These are just tools,” he says, “and once you’ve figured out they’re tools you need to figure out how to use them effectively.”
The shifting nature of the recruitment and TA function is embodied, perhaps in the example Bersin gives of Mastercard where their recruiters are now referred to a career advisers. “The recruiter decides where that person should be working,” he says. “In a really high growth company the recruiter wants to find the right person, but they need to be sure the position they go to is right as well.”
Even as AI and technology continues to make inroads into the function, the need for a human being to make these kind of human decisions is more important than ever.
