LinkedIn study reveals talent shortages, AI hiring trends in India

LinkedIn’s latest study finds 74% of Indian recruiters struggle to hire qualified candidates amid high demand and AI-generated applications. Professionals feel unprepared for job hunting, prompting recruiters to increasingly use AI to identify skills and improve hiring efficiency.

Hyderabad: In a sign that companies are increasingly finding it hard to recruit the right talent, a new LinkedIn research has indicated that 74 per cent of recruiters now struggle to find qualified candidates, even as hiring activity runs 40 per cent above pre-pandemic levels.

Among recruiters who say hiring has become more difficult, over half point to a surge in AI-generated applications (53 per cent), while many cite continued shortages in in-demand skills (47 per cent).

---

Further, LinkedIn platform data shows applicants per open role in India have more than doubled since 2022. Additionally, while 72 per cent of professionals say they are actively job-hunting in 2026, 85 per cent admit they feel unprepared to navigate the process.

Amid these pressures, recruiters are seeing AI as part of the solution. Among those already using it, 71 per cent in India say AI has helped them uncover candidates with skills they would have previously missed, while 80 per cent report it makes gaining insight into a candidate’s skills easier.

Looking ahead, adoption is only set to rise. Around 8 in 10 Indian recruiters say they plan to expand their use of AI to support hiring goals, evaluate applicants, and source top talent.

LinkedIn Talent Solutions APAC VP Ruchee Anand said, “They were seeing a structural shift in hiring from pedigree and past titles to demonstrated skills and capability. This shift is hard to execute at scale without AI”.