Randstad Enterprise’s latest Talent Trends report, which surveyed 1,000 C-suite and human capital leaders across 21 markets, reveals AI is reshaping productivity across every aspect of the talent life cycle in Australia, with the large majority (86%) agreeing that AI, in conjunction with Big Data, is enhancing talent attraction, engagement, and retention.
When it comes to use cases, the large majority are adopting AI to help find gaps within the workforce and identify opportunities for talent mobility (86% and 88% respectively). One in three (35%) are also using AI to identify high-potential employees for promotion and leadership opportunities, and one in five (20%) to look for employees with specific skills.
Top of the list for HR leaders is AI search and match, with almost three-quarters (73%) having invested in this form of technology. A similar number are also buying into chatbot or text screening (71%), and internal talent mobility technologies (69%).
While three in five (61%) HR leaders plan to increase budgets for AI, machine learning, and automation, seven in ten (69%) are concerned digital transformation is moving too fast and they cannot keep up. This comes at a time when the large majority (82%) are reporting an increasing skills gap and three-quarters (76%) are being asked to do more with less.
HR leaders are also concerned about the over-reliance on automation (37%) and employees sharing proprietary information with external AI tools (37%). Unconscious bias also remains a key consideration, with one in five (20%) reporting they are concerned about the risks of AI amplifying bias or being used irresponsibly, unfairly, or unethically.
David Owens, Founder and Managing Director of HR Partners by Randstad comments: “Our research shows we are firmly in an age when artificial and human intelligence can together achieve an optimised workforce unlike any before it. While HR leaders must continue to urgently adopt innovative strategies to ensure agility in a rapidly transforming global employment market – particularly as the skills gap continues to widen – the question is how can they do it feasibly and ethically. Retaining the human element within the human resources will be a key step to maximising the potential of these technologies.”
