Asia-Pacific recruiters lean on AI as job race intensifies

Recruiters across Asia-Pacific are increasing their use of artificial intelligence in hiring as competition for roles stays high and employers demand faster decisions, according to new research from LinkedIn.

The survey points to a widening gap between application volumes and recruiters' ability to identify qualified candidates. In Singapore, 74% of recruiters said finding qualified talent has become more challenging. Recruiters in India and Australia reported similar pressure, at 74% and 77% respectively.

LinkedIn also found signs of strong jobseeker activity in parts of the region. A majority of professionals said they are actively looking for a new role in 2026, including 58% in Singapore, 72% in India and 51% in Australia. Applications per job posting remained elevated year on year, rising 13% in Australia, 18% in India and 6% in Singapore.

Pressure points

The findings describe a market in which employers are keeping hiring subdued while asking for broader skills. Global hiring remains 20% below pre-pandemic levels and job transitions are at a decade low. LinkedIn also pointed to growth in "new-collar" roles that blend technical knowledge with adaptability as companies redesign jobs for a digital-first economy.

In Singapore and Australia, recruiters reported pressure to hire faster without sacrificing quality. In those markets, 40% of recruiters in Singapore and 41% in Australia said they were under pressure to make quality hires faster. They also reported expectations to identify overlooked candidates, cited by 40% in Singapore and 37% in Australia.

In India, the survey suggests an additional focus on AI skills. Recruiters there reported being expected to source candidates with AI literacy (57%), reflecting efforts by employers to build workforces suited to the adoption of AI tools.

AI in hiring

Recruiters are increasingly turning to AI tools for sourcing, screening and shortlisting. In Singapore, 61% of recruiters who have used AI tools said the technology helped them identify candidates with relevant skills they would have missed using traditional approaches. The figure was 71% in India and 64% in Australia.

The research also suggests recruiters see AI as a way to bring more consistency to selection decisions. In Singapore, 64% said AI supports fairer decisions. That rose to 78% in India and was 55% in Australia.

Recruiters across the region expect broader adoption over the coming year. In Singapore, 70% said they plan to increase the use of AI for pre-screening interviews in 2026, compared with 80% in India and 71% in Australia. Recruiters also signalled increased use of AI for sourcing and identifying qualified candidates across these markets.

AI has already changed how organisations hire, LinkedIn said. It reported that 79% of recruiters in Singapore, 81% in India and 75% in Australia said AI has changed their organisation's hiring process.

Ruchee Anand, Vice President of Talent Solutions, Asia Pacific, LinkedIn, said the findings reflect a shift in how roles and skills are evolving.

"The job market across Asia Pacific is at a crossroads. Organisations are redesigning roles, professionals are reassessing what's next, and the skills employers need are shifting faster than traditional hiring was ever designed to handle. AI is emerging as a key partner in this shift - helping recruiters uncover talent, move with greater speed, and provide a more transparent experience for candidates. At LinkedIn, we're committed to helping both recruiters and job seekers across the region navigate this new era with confidence by giving them access to the insights, skills and tools they need to thrive."

Product push

Alongside the research, LinkedIn is positioning its own AI hiring tools as part of the move towards greater automation in recruitment. LinkedIn Hiring Assistant is an AI agent for recruiters that works within LinkedIn's talent network and is available globally in English.

Companies including AMD, Aurecon, Chewy, Expedia Group, Fabletics, Insite, Jacobs, Siemens and Wipro are using the product, LinkedIn said. It also shared early adopter metrics, reporting that users are saving more than four hours per role, reviewing 62% fewer profiles and seeing a 69% improvement in InMail acceptance rates.

Two Wipro recruiters described their experience with the tool.

"I've found LiHA incredibly helpful in streamlining my recruiting workflow. It saves time on sourcing and admin tasks, allowing me to focus more on candidate engagement and strategic hiring. The personalized outreach and evolving suggestions have noticeably improved the quality of my talent pipeline. It's truly a smart partner in recruitment," said Srinivas Rajavarapu, Talent Acquisition, Wipro North America.

"I started using Hiring Assistant to fill a super-niche position that had been open for six months. Hiring Assistant identified a great candidate we had previously missed that we ultimately hired. LIHA saves me about 1-2 hours as I don't have to source manually," said Prasad M.

The research was conducted by Censuswide in November 2025 among 19,113 consumers and 6,554 HR professionals across markets including Singapore, India and Australia, as well as the UK, US and several European countries.