Will the role of a recruiter still exist in 2030?

A recent report from Goldman Sachs found that across the globe, generative AI is expected to eliminate, repurpose or redefine 300 million jobs. With plenty of talk of automation and general scaremongering about organisations looking to remove roles, we wanted to find out whether HR and talent professionals believe the role of a recruiter will exist in 2030. Nick Allwood, Director at Macmillan Davies, alongside Ben Gledhill, Talent Acquisition Director at Manchester Airport Group, and Liz Radcliffe, European Director - Talent Attraction at Kin + Carta, share their thoughts on the changes and impact of AI.

Changes to teams

So far, there hasn’t been a sizable change to our Talent Acquisition (TA) experts or their team’s role with the introduction of generative pre-trained transformers (GPTs). But, all three of the panel experts say they have seen a positive impact ranging from efficiencies to enhanced intelligence.

“Chat GPT is a tool to be harnessed,” says Liz. “We have seen some success with the use of this tool within our sourcing and talent intelligence department; however, we treat the information as a theory that needs to be proved!”

At Macmillan Davies, Nick has already seen efficiencies in our Manchester-based recruitment team, as he explains: ”Tools like ChatGPT have been a great introduction for us from an automation perspective. It’s saved our relatively small team an abundance of time in completing some of the more onerous, administrative tasks every recruiter wishes somebody else could do for them.”

For Ben, the approach to ChatGPT is one of exploring the different uses: “The main difference with ChatGPT is that we are being organic in terms of A&B and looking at potential uses, rather than a more formal structured approach.”

The AI opportunities for talent acquisition

HR is changing, and talent is along with it! Organisations are adopting product development principles and methodologies to the way they think about HR, notably with HR services becoming products that need to show value to ‘customers’ - its employees. The ultimate goal for this way of thinking is to enhance the employee and candidate experience, increase efficiency, and align HR services with business objectives.

“At Kin + Carta our initial considerations have all been centred around this approach, and how do we create intelligent experiences for our candidates?” says Liz. “My TA strategy has been focused on just that;

• How do we enhance human connection for our candidates?
• What data points are the most crucial for us, and how do we use this data to guide our decision-making?
• How do we create an intuitive, user-friendly candidate journey?”

Nick also feels the opportunities are huge: “We can incorporate AI to back up any decision-making in hiring, reduce time to hire, and really promote it as an aid as more businesses move to a skills-based hiring model as opposed to using more traditional methods. It’s also something I’d be keen to explore in terms of its suitability when ensuring a diverse slate of candidates.”

The risks

As a recruiter, it’s important to ensure we don’t become reliant on technology or become dependent on having the answer and feel we need to rely on the software for the answer. There is also the obvious human bias risk where output is determined by who’s having the input. With the final consideration being deciding on the point where the human takes back control over decision-making if AI is heavily involved in a recruitment process, then how much should we let AI do?

Future predictions for the Talent Acquisition role

Ben believes the sustained growth in Hiring Operations roles will continue, along with a lean process and technology refinement that will develop and offer the ultimate hiring experience. Specialisms like ED&I will also evolve into an even greater strategic role.

“I am hopeful that advances in technology will allow recruiters to focus on the really exciting element of the roles and providing a more personal service,” says Nick. “Technology will give us more time to build strong relationships and better connections with having the time to network effectively and ensure we’re experts in our fields. Hiring technology can show us where the best talent is, and it’s then up to the amazing human recruiter to make the connection for the long term and build that relationship.”

Liz believes talent professionals will have to become more comfortable with data: ”Alongside creating a heavily personalised candidate experience, talent professionals have to be at ease with using data. Indeed, I can see a peak in data literacy across the profession on a scale we haven't seen before. I think companies and executives will see a bigger emphasis on people-first philosophies within HR, alongside a greater investment in people.

“The role of HR continues to evolve with the use of data - being able to articulate true value directly linked to business success. Quality of Hire will become crucial, and we will continue to utilise data to predict ‘performance in role’.”

So, will recruiters still have a role in 2030?

In short, yes.

Ben believes hiring will always need the human element: “Hiring always has been, and always will be a human-to-human business. Yes, technology is evolving day by day and can augment what a recruiter can do, but it still needs human interaction.”

Liz agrees with the power of human interaction in recruitment:” The role will still exist by the time we enter the new decade. We are all human and strive for connection. For me, this is the most crucial part of a high-performing TA function - candidate engagement, stakeholder engagement, EV, and so on. While I believe the fundamentals of the job will change, I see the future of TA +AI as a balance between creating efficiency and productivity, alongside making more time for connections.”

This opinion is backed up by a 1938 Harvard University study, which was the longest study into the role of human behaviour and positive relationships in keeping us happier and healthier, and in helping us to live longer.

"The role of the recruiter isn’t going anywhere,” Nick concludes. “In my eyes, talent attraction is fundamental to any business. Reactive TA may become more automated, but true strategic resourcing and attraction will always have human involvement at its core.”

Get in touch

Should you wish to have a confidential chat with Nick Allwood to discuss the current HR market or your search for work/recruiting into your team, please contact her directly at nallwood@mdhr.co.uk

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