The traditional fall hiring boost might be faltering this year. Despite the usual increase in job openings as vacations end and companies prepare for the holiday season, some sectors are experiencing a slowdown.
John Mullinix, head of growth marketing at Ladders, notes that industries like manufacturing, healthcare, and construction are seeing fewer openings than anticipated. This is contributing to the overall decline in job openings in the US, which is at its lowest level since early 2021.
For job seekers, this means a more competitive market. The number of applicants per role has increased, making it harder to stand out. Many companies are also turning to contract and freelance work to avoid the costs associated with full-time employees.
However, there are still opportunities. Startups are actively hiring, driven by growth and increasing demand. Additionally, sectors like technology and healthcare continue to have strong demand for talent.
To increase your chances of success in this challenging market:
- Be strategic: Focus on roles that align with your skills and experience.
- Complete applications thoroughly: Even if it's time-consuming, putting effort into your application can set you apart.
- Be flexible: Consider roles with similar titles or responsibilities, as companies often use different terminology.
- Network: Building relationships can provide valuable insights and potential opportunities.
While the job market may be slower than in previous years, with the right approach, you can still find a rewarding position.
Will AI Make Job Recruiting More Efficient—but Less Fair?
We asked readers what they think about companies that are relying more on artificial intelligence to screen candidates. Are the trade-offs acceptable?
If you’re hunting for a job—or looking for the right person to hire—you know how difficult the process can be.
Already, more job seekers are robo-filing hundreds of applications online, flooding recruiters with responses that make it hard to responsibly screen all candidates. Machines are now in the middle of the process, and artificial intelligence, while imperfect, is increasingly running the show, putting some trade-offs into sharper focus.
We wanted to know what WSJ readers think about this and other AI-centric dilemmas from an ethics standpoint. So we asked:
Research shows that some AI-driven tasks, such as evaluating job candidates, are more prone to discrimination. But using AI also allows more applicants to be considered, since there are only so many applications that HR can read. Is that trade-off acceptable?
Here’s some of what we heard.
AI doesn’t have a bad day
In my experience, humans are naturally biased/prone to discrimination as well. Unlike humans, though, AI will never have a bad day, see the applicant as a potential competitor, consider appearance, or care what state they live in. Bias comes in many forms and many of those forms will be reduced or eliminated using a robot.
- Robert Garrison, Dallas
It depends on the job
My answer is what I call a “penz on”—it (de)pends on, in this case, what the job is. AI might be OK for screening applicants for entry-level repetitive tasks. But in “Good to Great,” Jim Collins said the best companies first “get the right people on the bus.” Can AI determine whether a job applicant’s personality will mesh with his co-workers? Can AI “hear” inflection in someone’s writing? Can AI tell if an applicant used AI to complete his application or résumé? AI is not really intelligent at all. It doesn’t really think. It’s a bunch of 1s and 0s that a programmer put together in a big, fast calculator.
- Nate Sachritz,Portage, Mich.
A supporting player
Sadly, you are right about AI’s being prone to discrimination, as much of AI is based on prevailing business practices. But this can be managed almost immediately—by adjusting the data set and removing data elements such as gender that can contribute to biases. Human HR specialists can also implement business practices to reduce discrimination.
The increasing use of AI in all aspects of business processes is inevitable because of the attractiveness of doing much more with fewer resources. But the real caution flag with AI is when AI becomes the primary decision maker in recruiting, versus just providing decision support such as recommendations, analysis, or initial screenings.
- Te Wu,Glen Ridge, N.J.
A partnership
I always thought interviews should be blind. Candidates should fill out applications on site. Connected AI could quickly verify the accuracy of the information, and sort through any publicly accessible sources to determine candidates’ viability. AI could choose the best candidates for an interview. It must be a partnership with floating oversight.
- Phyllis Baltagi,Syracuse, N.Y.
Improve the tool
Discrimination has no place in the workplace, including in the evaluation of job candidates. Given that businesses continue to leverage AI, the focus should be on how to use AI to drive equity and efficiency in the hiring process rather than whether to use it.
There are opportunities to address model biases and transform AI into a tool that increases fairness in hiring. These include building larger and more varied data sets for model training, allowing hiring managers to tailor training toward a variety of candidate success outcomes, and using AI to evaluate work portfolios rather than candidate characteristics. AI is already used in the hiring process—let’s focus on making it a valuable tool for everyone.
• Tim Marlowe, Whitefish, Mont.
A dehumanizing trend
This is really a delicate subject. Maybe I’m old-fashioned but I still cherish the days of face-to-face interviews. It has gotten harder for an applicant to get beyond the digital/app/online process which is prevalent today.
Cutting the cost of HR is just another way for a company to increase profit and give the CEO a bonus at year’s end. AI should not be allowed to further diminish the value of the human being by making him or her a cipher on a computer screen.
- Gerry Mandel,St. Louis
Humans are only human
Recruiters are overwhelmed, and their capability to sift through thousands of applicants to find the perfect match leaves a lot to be desired. I think AI screening for job recruiting should be accepted as the norm, trade-offs notwithstanding.
- Nauman Sheikh, Marriottsville, Md.
AI, explain yourself
AI should provide a detailed explanation of how it arrived at its conclusion or recommendation.
This should then allow the human to gauge any potential discrimination.
- Michael E. Dziubinski,Hood River, Ore.
Free to win or lose
Employers should have the freedom to run their businesses as they wish. If employers want to rely on a machine to pick the brightest and the best, so be it. They’ll be the losers in the long run. The human connection will win the day. But that’s their choice to make.
- Brad Grizenko, Wake Forest, N.C.
AI is us at our worst
No, there are so many ways job applicants may be discriminated against already. I cannot imagine a system that generates ideas from previously written information that wouldn’t contain nearly ALL the potential discrimination actions conjured up in the past.
At least with humans, there are only SOME biases to each person and then someone else can review and catch the bias. I’m afraid with AI doing so much work so fast, bias would be virtually unstoppable.
- Robin Hurley, Highlands Ranch, Colo.
Only sometimes
For STEM jobs, yes. For other jobs involving more people interaction, no.
- Deena Semeniuk,Phoenix
AI’s biases
No, I am 63 years old and am among those who’ve become invisible to the job market thanks to AI. Despite my qualifications, experience, and 400 applications a month, AI could detect I am older than 45, so much of my effort was wasted until I landed my current job.
AI is biased and inaccurate in many areas, from age to race to eating disorders. It’s important to call out those who use AI to further promote discrimination, even if you could stop it with half an hour of software development.
- Michael Esser,Los Angeles