As hiring activity in India continues to run well above pre-pandemic levels, recruiters are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence to manage growing complexity in talent acquisition. New research from LinkedIn shows that 74% of recruiters in India are struggling to find qualified candidates, even as overall hiring activity remains 40% higher than before the pandemic.
The challenge, according to the study, is not a lack of applicants but a widening gap between volume and quality. More than half of recruiters who report increased difficulty in hiring attribute this to a surge in AI-generated applications (53%), while 47% point to ongoing shortages in in-demand skills. Nearly 48% say distinguishing genuine applications from low-quality or misleading ones has added friction to the recruitment process.
LinkedIn platform data reflects this shift. The number of applicants per open role in India has more than doubled since 2022. At the same time, while 72% of professionals say they are actively job-hunting in 2026, 85% admit they feel unprepared to navigate the process.
AI adoption accelerates among recruiters.
Against this backdrop, recruiters are increasingly relying on AI to improve speed, accuracy, and candidate experience. Among Indian recruiters already using AI tools, 71% say AI has helped them identify candidates with relevant skills they would otherwise have missed, while 80% report that AI makes it easier to assess a candidate’s capabilities. More than three-quarters (76%) believe AI is already helping accelerate hiring timelines.
Looking ahead, adoption is set to increase further. Around 80% of Indian recruiters say they plan to expand their use of AI in 2026 for sourcing, evaluating candidates, and supporting hiring goals. A majority also expect to increase the use of AI for pre-screening interviews, citing expectations of more meaningful recruiter–candidate interactions (83%), faster hiring cycles (83%), and better candidate insights (82%).
Ruchee Anand, APAC Vice President, LinkedIn Talent Solutions, said the hiring market is undergoing a structural shift away from pedigree and job titles toward demonstrated skills and capabilities. She noted that executing this shift at scale is difficult without AI, which-when used responsibly, can help recruiters identify relevant skills earlier, reduce screening friction, and improve consistency and fairness in evaluations.
Transparency becomes a priority.
As AI becomes more deeply embedded in recruitment workflows, expectations around transparency are rising. According to the research, 50% of recruiters in India say they are under increasing pressure to explain how AI is used in screening and shortlisting decisions, highlighting growing demand from candidates for clarity on hiring processes.
LinkedIn’s AI-led hiring tools
To address recruiter priorities around speed and quality, LinkedIn continues to invest in AI-powered hiring tools:
- Salary and Notice Period Filters allow candidates to share expectations visible only to recruiters, helping reduce early-stage friction.
- Hiring Assistant, LinkedIn’s AI agent for recruiters, is being used by companies including AMD, Siemens, Wipro and Expedia Group. Early adopters report reviewing 62% fewer profiles, saving over four hours per role, and achieving a 69% increase in InMail acceptance rates.
- LinkedIn Hiring Pro, aimed at small and medium businesses, supports candidate discovery, shortlisting and outreach. Nearly 60% of users report identifying interview-ready candidates within the first week, with average time savings of six hours per week.
The findings suggest that as hiring complexity increases, AI is becoming a core decision-support layer, helping recruiters navigate scale, improve quality, and adapt to a skills-first labour market.