26.6% of users are not actively accessing bias in AI recruitment tools either, according to survey involving 2,014 skilled professionals in Malaysia

Malaysia, 22 Jan 2024 – Hays, the global leader in workforce solutions and specialist recruitment, recently analysed hiring trends data to reveal how employees and hiring managers used Generative AI in the recruitment process.
In a survey involving 2,014 skilled professionals and 832 employers from Malaysia, it was found that 51.7% of jobseekers used AI tools such as ChatGPT, Bing and others during their recent job applications.
The use of Generative AI in the workplace has been a boon for resourceful candidates looking for help with landing their desired position with employers. Platforms like ChatGPT can help review resumes, provide interview strategies, and even simulate mock interviews.

While global CEOs have been keen to harness the power of Generative AI in the workforce, its usage in recruitment are still in the early stages. 17.0% of employers in Malaysia surveyed currently use AI minimally throughout the recruitment process, while 29.8% are only looking to explore it in the coming year. 39.4% have no plans to use AI in their recruitment processes yet.

The top three applications among employers who used AI in recruitment are as follows: 54.3% use it for resume screening and shortlisting, 33.7% use it for candidate assessment and ranking, while 31.4% use it to perform predictive analysis for candidate fit.

Despite a majority of 83.0% of human resources personnel polled supporting the use of AI tools to help them perform their tasks at work, just 44.0% of them believe their organisations have embraced AI sufficiently to stay relevant in the future.

Understandably, some of this hesitation comes from a lack of a standard regulatory framework, including budget and the lack of human touch and personalization – the latter two being highlighted by employers in Malaysia as key challenges when implementing AI in recruitment.

There is still much work to be done to bridge the gap. 57.4% of respondents in Malaysia believe AI-powered resume screening can be biased and requires addressing before being utilised, unlike most of the China respondents who believe the biases are being addressed. The Hays study also found 26.6% of employers who used AI in recruitment are not actively assessing biases in AI recruitment tools while only 26.0% of human resources personnel polled received policies around the usage of AI tools from their manager(s) or organisation.
“Organisations have an active role to play in preparing for the increased implementation of AI within recruitment. This involves closely monitoring the inherent biases with their vendors and considering ethical considerations being addressed at the ASEAN level. Companies could leverage such strategic international collaboration to jointly and continually develop the necessary frameworks to adopt at a local level. This is particularly crucial in fostering trust in inclusive hiring, especially considering the expectations of both staff and candidates to utilise AI in recruitment or job-seeking processes,” said Marc Burrage, Managing Director, Hays Asia.

This press release was adapted from a Hays blog - 7 Trends Employees and Employers in Malaysia Should Know in 2024

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Contact
For more information contact:
Hays Malaysia Marketing Team
E: marketing@hays.com.my

About Hays
Hays plc (the "Group") is the world’s leading specialist in workforce solutions and recruitment, such as RPO and MSP. The Group is the expert at recruiting qualified, professional, and skilled people worldwide, being the market leader in the UK, Germany, and Australia and one of the market leaders in Continental Europe, Latin America, and Asia. The Group operates across the private and public sectors, dealing in permanent positions, contract roles and temporary assignments. As of 30 June 2023, the Group employed over 13,000 staff operating from 252 offices in 33 countries. For the year ended 30 June 2023:

• the Group reported net fees of £1,294.6 million and operating profit of £197.0 million;
• the Group placed around 76,800 candidates into permanent jobs and around 245,000 people into temporary roles;
• 15% of Group net fees were generated in Australia and New Zealand, 30% in Germany, 21% in United Kingdom and Ireland and 34% in Rest of World (RoW);
• the temporary placement business represented 57% of net fees and the permanent placement business represented 43% of net fees;
• Technology is the Group’s largest division, with 26% of net fees, while Accountancy and Finance (15%) and Engineering (10%), are the next largest
• Hays operates in the following countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, UAE, the UK, and the USA