While recruiters using AI tools report clear gains, LinkedIn data shows a surge in AI-generated applications is making it harder to identify genuinely skilled candidates.
Nearly three out of four Indian recruiters—74%—say they are struggling to find qualified candidates for open roles, highlighting a widening gap between available talent and employer expectations. Only a small share of hiring teams report that they can identify suitable candidates with ease, underscoring the growing complexity of recruitment in today’s job market.
The numbers reveal a striking contradiction. According to LinkedIn, recruitment activity in India is running at around 40% above pre-pandemic levels, yet recruiter confidence in candidate quality has dropped sharply. Despite a higher volume of applications, matching the right skills to the right roles has become increasingly difficult in a hiring environment shaped by speed, scale, and artificial intelligence.
Recruiters cite a growing volume-quality mismatch, where more applications no longer translate into better hiring outcomes. Among those who say hiring has become harder, over half blame the surge in AI-generated resumes, which often look polished but fail to demonstrate real-world skills. Nearly as many recruiters point to ongoing shortages of critical, in-demand skills across industries as a key challenge.
While LinkedIn notes that recruiters already using AI tools are seeing tangible benefits—including uncovering candidates they might have otherwise missed—the data suggests that unchecked use of AI on both sides of the hiring process may be complicating, rather than simplifying, the path to the right hire.
