Three out of every four people seeking work feel that AI could be unfairly screening out their applications, according to a new survey.
And a majority feel automation is making some aspects of the recruitment process impersonal and dismissive. This lack of human interaction, according to the inaugural Collins McNicholas Workforce Insights Report, is making professionals less interested in working for particular companies.
Overwhelmingly, the one piece of advice professionals would give to companies is to “keep a human touch” in the recruitment process.
Of the more than 2,500 respondents to the Collins McNicholas Workforce Insights Report, some 75% agreed or strongly agreed that AI could be unfairly screening out their applications. Only five per cent strongly disagreed.
Almost three out of four (74%) felt automated rejection emails were impersonal and dismissive, with only six per cent strongly disagreeing.
The survey was carried out by Collins McNicholas Recruitment & HR Services Group over a two-week period (from October 7th to October 21st) among professionals on the company’s database. A total of 2,541 responses were received from professionals working across a range of sectors and age profiles. Collins McNicholas is an award-winning Irish company that sources talent and provides hiring solutions across a wide variety of sectors for its client companies.
Other automation-related findings included:
- A total of 69% felt that a lack of human interaction made them less interested in working for a company.
- More than half (54%) said the one piece of advice they would give employers if using AI in recruitment was to ‘keep a human touch in the process’. This was followed by urging employers to only use automation at certain stages (16%) and to improve communication and feedback (14%)
- Almost half (46%) disagreed that automated messages made the recruitment process more efficient
Collins McNicholas’ Director Michelle Murphy said:
“The findings of our inaugural Workforce Insights Report are extremely interesting and show that employers face a huge challenge in balancing the use of AI and automation to speed up their recruitment process while ensuring that the applicants feel like they are being treated equally and receiving that human touch that they are clearly saying they want. Employers – and recruitment companies – are under increasing pressure to keep up to date with advances in AI but this report is a warning shot that we need to be careful about how we are implementing AI and where we are inserting that into the process.
“Collins McNicholas carried out this survey to capture the perspectives and priorities of professionals actively seeking new career opportunities in Ireland. All responses were collected anonymously to enable a comprehensive analysis of the trends shaping the Irish employment landscape in 2025. We plan to carry out an annual report in order to gain further insights to help employers gain real-time insights into the concerns and priorities of professionals.”
The survey also asked those who have been seeking work during 2025 about other issues. Here are some of those key findings:
Career progression (27%) and company culture (24%) are the main non-monetary priorities for those seeking new career opportunities right now. Professionals put these items ahead of remote/work from home options (23%) and flexible working hours (19%).
A majority of companies have not changed their hybrid or remote work policy in 2025. Despite much talk in the media about the increased move back to the office, some 59% said that their company had not changed their policy so far this year, with 16% saying they had. The remaining surveyed are not currently with a company full-time. Of those who made a change this year, the majority are now working in the office three days a week.
Professionals also do not believe that working remotely or on a hybrid model negatively affects opportunities for career advancement. A total of 51% either strongly or somewhat disagree that this is the case. Only four per cent strongly agreed.
The single biggest source of frustration for professionals from the recruitment process is lack of communication (39%), followed by lengthy hiring timelines or multiple interviews (19%) and ‘impersonal automated responses’ (14%).
Company brand is important to those seeking work, with 71% saying they research companies either comprehensively or by looking at their social media. Less than one per cent said they rarely research employers before applying for a job.
To access the complete Collins McNicholas Workforce Insights Report, please click here: https://www.collinsmcnicholas.ie/workforce-insights-report
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