iHire: 60% of hiring managers say that they receive too many underqualified applicants

It’s no surprise that AI is transforming the way that we work – specifically for HR teams.

In fact, according to iHire’s State of Online Recruiting Report, AI adoption from HR leaders has increased 76.6% in 2025, and 428% in 2024.

But how exactly is this impacting recruiters and job applicants? 

To discover more, UNLEASH spoke exclusively to Steve Flook, iHire President and CEO.

Is AI helping or hindering recruiters?

A quarter (25.9%) of employers share that they use AI to help with their recruiting efforts, according to iHire’s new report which surveyed US 1,421 job seekers and 529 employers.

This new data shows that the adoption of AI has increased drastically over the past 12 months, as only 14.7% admitted to using the tool for recruitment in 2024. 

This year’s findings show just how quickly technology, especially AI, is transforming recruiting for both employers and job seekers,” Flook explains.

“This reflects hiring professionals’ optimism about AI’s potential to help reduce repetitive tasks, hire faster, and stay competitive.”

On the other hand, 60% of hiring managers say that they receive too many underqualified applicants – highlighting the importance of job posts being accurate.

When candidates were asked what would make them more likely to apply for jobs, the report found the most requesting attributes were anticipated hiring timeline (60%), salary range (57%), contact information for the hiring manager (40.7%), benefit information (27.2%), and company culture and values details (22.0%). 

To encourage more candidates to apply, the report suggests HR leaders focus on including these details.

“Our research highlights how companies are adapting to broader labor market shifts,” Flook shares. 

“Facing widening skills gaps and economic uncertainty, many organizations are diversifying their talent acquisition strategies beyond simply posting job ads. 

“Specifically, a rising proportion of employers (42.6%) hired internally or promoted a top performer instead of hiring an external candidate in 2025.”

This highlights an increase of almost 150% year-over-year. 

He adds: “In addition, 30.8% of employers re-hired a former employee – a “boomerang” – and 27.8% invested in upskilling or reskilling existing staff in the past year. These hiring and talent management tactics can enable companies to be more agile and fill roles quicker.”

However, job boards are still playing a vital role in recruitment, with 79.5% of workers admitting that they rely on general job boards to search for jobs.

Additionally, 54.9% stated that they use professional networking sites, such as LinkedIn, 45% use company websites and 41% rely on search engines.

AI platforms, such as ChatGPT, are also used by 6.9% of job seekers, with iHire expecting this figure to increase in 2026.

“Employers are still relying on job boards as their go-to recruiting platforms, despite some negative news about bankruptcies, consolidation, and layoffs in the marketplace,” Flook explains. 

“Employers are calling for richer, more integrated tools on job boards – everything from messaging and pre-screening to assessments, interview scheduling, and other AI-driven features – to build stronger pipelines and make smarter candidate matches.

Ultimately, this year’s report reinforces that employers who blend innovation with adaptability, leveraging both technology and creative sourcing strategies, will be best positioned to thrive no matter what the labor market brings.”