More than 60% of candidates would be comfortable with AI handling the entire recruitment process – from job matching to onboarding and even the interview process. That’s according to the Global Recruitment Insights and Data 2024 Talent Trends Report from Bullhorn, the global leader in software for the staffing and recruitment industry. 

With a challenging economy and an increasing demand for skilled workers in industries like healthcare, staffing firms must consider candidate needs to maintain the flexibility and scalability of a contingent workforce. Four in five (80%) candidates expect to be placed in less than 20 days, and 65% of candidates want communication from a recruiter once a week or more, according to the GRID findings.

Among candidates who were dissatisfied with the recruitment process, speed and job fit were among the most common pain points. The report revealed that 56% felt their recruiter didn’t understand what they were looking for in a job, and 44% felt recruiters were too slow to respond. The impact of excellent sourcing goes beyond fighting these pain points – with more than half (53%) of candidates choosing their current staffing agency based on a positive past experience, meaning the value of speed and fit can reap bottom-line rewards.

AI: The secret weapon for candidate loyalty in staffing and recruitment

Artificial intelligence (AI) provides staffing firms with a seamless solution for speed and accuracy within the recruitment process. The report suggests that AI is the key tool to deliver that value, and candidates are fully on board with AI in the hiring process – 81% of candidates say they are comfortable with AI in recruiting if it speeds up the process, and 79% are comfortable with AI if personalization is not compromised.

“AI presents an opportunity to win for candidates, staffing firms, and clients alike,” said Jason Heilman, SVP Product Automation & AI. “Candidates look to AI to speed up the job search process, create more contact, and make sure their value as a prospective worker is properly represented. At the same time, staffing firms want to hire better talent faster for their clients, and their clients want the best people on their teams. AI fuels the hiring process of the future, unlocking the ability for all participants in the process to reap the benefits of a faster, more accurate, and improved experience.”

To learn more about candidate expectations, read the full report here.

About the GRID Talent Trends Report

The annual GRID Talent Trends Report is based on a multiple-choice, online survey of more than 2,400 respondents who worked with a staffing firm in the last five years. Respondents work across a variety of industries and around the globe, including North America, the UK and Ireland, Benelux, DACH, and APAC. The survey was conducted in June 2024.

About Bullhorn

For the past 25 years, Bullhorn has dedicated itself to building industry-leading, cloud-based software for the staffing and recruitment industry. Through partnerships with 10,000 customers globally, Bullhorn has built a vast knowledge base of recruitment best practices and deep domain expertise to help firms scale their businesses. Founder-led and headquartered in Boston, Bullhorn employs 1,600 people across 14 countries focused on delivering an incredible customer experience – its core mission. To learn more, visit www.bullhorn.com or follow Bullhorn on LinkedIn or X.