Survey reveals 52% are confident about the use of AI algorithms in hiring processes – but the human touch remains vital
It’s the annual ‘September surge’ in job-hunting and recruitment activity and ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) has highlighted confidence around the use of AI in finance and accountancy recruitment which emerged as one of the headline findings in this year’s annual India Talent Trends Survey.
Over half of respondents in India (52%) are confident about the use of AI algorithms in hiring processes – substantially higher than the global figure of 43%. This is mirrored at board level with 40% of leaders trusting their use of AI when selecting talent.
Generationally in India, Gen Z is the most positive about the use of AI to support transparency in the recruitment processes – with 54% confident that it can support fair and unbiased hiring. Gen Y is more balanced – with 48% showing confidence, while Gen X is wary by comparison – with only 27% feeling the same. Across different seniority levels, the confidence levels around AI-based hiring in India are higher compared to global figures.
Md. Sajid Khan, Director – India at ACCA said: ‘Employers who took part in our research concluded that using AI in hiring is proving to be a strong recruitment funnel – helping them sift through large applicant pools, but it requires human ownership and intervention. However, AI models can have inherent biases and are not automatically objective or fair. Context blindness is another risk - explaining career decisions like career breaks, changes, and growth come with subjectivity and personal stories – something that agentic AI can’t be expected to be mindful about.’
He added: ‘AI is here to stay and offers many benefits, but it’s important that hiring processes are fair, equitable, transparent and supported by appropriate human oversight.’
A recent ACCA poll suggests concerns around recruiters’ use of AI, including:
· Bias: While AI can help reduce potential bias in human-led processes – there’s often distrust in the algorithms and the data they are trained on.
· Lack of human touch: One of the big concerns that individuals have is the lack of human touch in processes – less personal feedback on applications, and the increased anonymity of processes that are less human-centric.
· Data privacy and transparency: concerns on how the data is used and protected
There is growing interest in the appropriate governance around the use of technologies, increased attention on the value of audits and monitoring processes around the AI algorithms being used and strengthening regulatory requirements. The India Talent Trends report concludes that while AI in recruitment is here to stay – ensuring appropriate safeguards and mitigations are essential as the technology continues to evolve.