As Hiring Gets Tougher in India, 71% of Recruiters Are Turning to AI to Find ‘Hidden Talent’ They Would Otherwise Miss: Linkedin

India’s hiring market is moving fast, but finding the right talent is getting harder. New research from LinkedIn shows that 74% of recruiters now struggle to find qualified candidates, even as hiring activity runs 40% above pre-pandemic levels.

• 53% of recruiters cite a surge in AI-generated applications as a challenge.
• 47% highlight shortages in in-demand skills.
• 48% say distinguishing genuine applications from low-quality ones adds friction.

LinkedIn platform data shows applicants per open role in India have more than doubled since 2022. Additionally, while 72% of professionals say they’re actively job-hunting in 2026, 85% admit they feel unprepared to navigate the process.

Recruiters are using AI to spot the right skills, hire faster, and make the candidate journey more fulfilling

• 71% of recruiters say AI helps uncover candidates with hidden skills.
• 80% report AI makes gaining insight into candidate skills easier.
• 76% believe AI is already speeding up hiring.

Looking ahead, adoption is set to rise:

• 8 in 10 recruiters plan to expand AI use for hiring goals and applicant evaluation.
• 83% expect AI pre-screening to improve recruiter-candidate conversations.
• 83% believe it will speed up hiring.
• 82% say it will provide better candidate insights.

Ruchee Anand, APAC VP, LinkedIn Talent Solutions: "We’re seeing a structural shift in hiring from pedigree and past titles to demonstrated skills and capability. This shift is hard to execute at scale without AI. Used responsibly, AI helps recruiters detect the right skills earlier, reduce screening friction and create a more consistent and fair evaluation process."

Transparency becomes central to the recruiter–job seeker relationship

• 50% of recruiters in India say they are under pressure to explain how AI is used in hiring processes.

How LinkedIn is helping recruiters hire faster and smarter

• Salary & Notice Period Filters: Reduce friction by allowing candidates to share expectations directly with recruiters.
• Hiring Assistant: AI agent helping companies like AMD, Siemens, Wipro uncover talent faster. Early adopters report:
  • 62% fewer profiles reviewed
  • 4+ hours saved per role
  • 69% improvement in InMail acceptance rate
• Hiring Pro: AI agent for small businesses. Benefits include:
  • 60% find someone to interview within the first week
  • Average of 6+ hours saved weekly
  • AI-powered interview support
  • Conversational interface for refining candidate search
  • AI-assisted personalized InMails

About LinkedIn

LinkedIn connects the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful. Its vision is to create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce through the ongoing development of the world’s first Economic Graph. LinkedIn has over 1.2 billion members and offices worldwide. Visit www.linkedin.com or mobile.linkedin.com.

Methodology

Research conducted by Censuswide in November 2025 among 19,113 consumer respondents and 6,554 HR professionals across multiple global markets. Censuswide abides by ESOMAR principles and is a member of the British Polling Council.