What employers really think about AI in job applications

Low numbers of employers have a published policy on candidate use of AI in job applications, and the majority want universities to train students in using the technology ethically and responsibly

The University of York Careers and Placement AI working group, funded by the Jisc careers research grant, explored the attitudes of employers recruiting in the York and North Yorkshire region to candidates using AI in recruitment and selection activities.

Key findings

• Few employers recruiting in York and North Yorkshire have a policy or agreed approach on AI use in the recruitment process. Only 7.7% of employers surveyed have an existing policy and 23.1% are in the process of this being developed.
• The number of employers who have an applicant-facing webpage, or guidance document explaining their approach is low at 7.7%.
• All employers who do have a policy and an applicant-facing webpage or guidance document are larger employers with more than 250 employees.
• Low numbers of employers surveyed have noticed candidates using AI in their most recent recruitment cycles. Only 23% of employers indicate that AI usage was noticed in large numbers of applications. 43.6% of respondents indicated that they saw little to no evidence of AI usage.
• Employers who have noticed candidates using AI in applications perceived more challenges than opportunities in relation to this trend.
• Less than a quarter of the employers surveyed had a detailed, or very detailed, awareness of student views and expectations about using AI in the job seeking process. More than two thirds thought their awareness was low or very low.
• Awareness of how AI can support diversity was low, with just over a quarter of employers citing a detailed, or very detailed, awareness of this.
• Almost two thirds of employers (71.2%) surveyed have not considered how penalising AI usage may disproportionately impact underrepresented groups and do not have plans in place to mitigate this.
• Almost half of employers (46.5%) surveyed do not prohibit the use of AI in any particular selection activities.
• The most common selection activities where employers indicate that AI use is prohibited are the in-person interview (46.2%), numerical reasoning tests (33.3%) and situational judgement tests (30.8%).
• There is a greater tolerance of AI use in the CV, personal statement and application form, with AI use being prohibited by just 12.8% of employers for each of these activities.
• The reasons given for prohibiting AI use included a concern for authenticity, fairness and ensuring the candidate has the right skill set for the role.
• AI is permitted for use in the workplace either fully (48.7%) or in certain contexts (38.5%) with the majority of organisations surveyed.
• Where it is prohibited, either entirely, or in some contexts, the reasons given for this centre around security, lack of research into the consequences, confidentiality and GDPR.
• The majority of employers surveyed are in favour of universities providing AI training for students to use AI ethically and responsibly in job applications (84.6%) and in the workplace (87.2%).

About the report

This project investigated key trends in relation to the attitudes of employers recruiting in York and the North Yorkshire region to candidate use of AI for the benefit of careers services, students and employers. The key objectives were:

• To provide improved clarity for careers staff and students, in the York and North Yorkshire region, in relation to approaching job applications in a way that is ethical, effective and informed by the employer view of AI use.
• To provide insights to employers in the York and North Yorkshire region in relation to how businesses are approaching candidate use of AI in recruitment.

The findings are followed by a series of recommendations for the higher education and careers/ employability sector.

This research was funded by the Jisc careers research grant. If you're a careers professional planning to undertake research, you may be eligible for funding of up to £5,000.