Marvin OnumonuA YouGov survey for HireRight found UK HR and recruitment leaders are less confident and slower to adopt artificial intelligence (AI) in hiring than international counterparts.
Globally, HR teams expected AI to boost hiring.
A net 13% expected workforce growth by the end of 2026.
In the UK, only 18% expected AI to increase hiring, compared to 52% in India and 43% in Brazil.
19% in the UK thought hiring would drop due to AI, and 40% expected little or no impact.
42% of UK HR leaders said they were not using AI in HR functions, the highest proportion among the locations surveyed.
Training and development, and candidate selection or CV filtering were the most common uses for AI in UK HR, both at 25%.
Almost three in 10 UK HR leaders said they were not confident spotting when candidates had used generative AI tools on their applications or CVs.
71% said they were confident, but this was behind the global average of 82% and far below India and Australia, both at 92%.
Only 12% of UK respondents said they were very confident, compared to 54% in India.
Just 16% of UK HR decision-makers viewed candidates using AI positively. This was lower than India at 63%, Brazil at 61%, and the Middle East at 54%.
28% of UK respondents saw AI use by candidates as negative, more than double the global average of 13%.
Rob Harwood Reid, VP of go-to-market UK and Europe at HireRight, said: “The findings of our survey point to a widening divide.
“While other global markets seem to be pushing ahead, embracing AI tools in recruitment and preparing for workforce expansion, UK businesses are generally approaching AI rather more vigilantly, which could lead to a competitive disadvantage for those with slower rates of adoption – or choosing to abstain from using AI altogether.
“As AI continues to reshape the workforce, UK HR leaders with more progressive attitudes towards AI are more likely to experience its full potential in supporting key HR functions, such as talent acquisition, HR administration and workforce management.”
