The Future of Recruiting in MENA 2025
How AI redefines recruiting excellence
Moving beyond routine work to drive strategic impact for MENA talent teams
As AI continues to transform the world of work, few will be more affected than recruiters. Not only will recruiters be responsible for hiring the AI-enabled workforce of the future, but they’ll also be using AI to streamline repetitive tasks, allowing them to do their jobs faster and more effectively.
AI won’t just make recruiters more efficient, it has the potential to elevate recruiters’ roles and make them pivotal to achieving organisational success. By embracing AI, talent leaders across MENA can fundamentally improve how they identify, assess, and hire the right talent in a skills-driven economy.
What do talent teams need to do to make the most of AI? What are some organisations already doing to stay ahead? LinkedIn’s 2025 MENA Future of Recruiting report will help you understand how AI is reshaping recruiting and reveal how harnessing AI effectively can help meet critical recruiting goals such as improving Quality of Hire and Skills-Based Hiring.
AI in Recruiting
AI deployment is accelerating — but challenges exist
AI is reshaping hiring from the ground up, transforming the role of recruiters along the way. By automating time-consuming recruiting tasks, generative AI (GAI) is speeding up the hiring process, allowing recruiters and Talent Acquisition professionals (TA pros) to spend more time on strategic activities like building relationships, improving candidate experience, and advising hiring managers. Organisations are getting the message.
Adoption among recruiting teams is growing globally, with 37% of organisations now “actively integrating” or “experimenting” with Gen AI tools, up from 27% a year ago.
What advantages does AI provide hiring teams? Efficiency is the top benefit by far; among those experimenting or integrating GAI in hiring, the average amount of time saved is about 20% of their workweek–a full workday saved weekly.
64% of HR & TA pros in MENA believe AI-powered hiring tools will make the hiring process easier
But with these benefits comes additional responsibilities, and TA teams aren’t shying away from them. Recruiters themselves recognise that they need to bulk up their AI skills to keep up with the changes.
But recruiters won’t just need AI skills — they’ll need human skills too. Those who want to stand out from the crowd will need to master skills that can’t be easily replicated by GAI, such as relationship building, communication, and adaptability.
The best recruiters, says John Vlastelica, founder and CEO of Recruiting Toolbox, will become talent advisors who work with candidates who need the human touch to guide them on major career decisions. “They will be much more of a career coach, working with candidates who have more complicated situations,” John says. “They will be providing more of an executive recruiter kind of experience.”
With AI set to take over mundane tasks, employers are increasingly looking for recruiters who can take on more strategic roles. Demand for recruiters who have relationship-building skills, for instance, has surged. Employers in MENA were 9x more likely to list “relationship development” as a required skill for recruiters on a paid job post than last year.
But GAI also presents challenges and risks that TA leaders will have to address, including concerns about data privacy, legal compliance, and even uncertainty about how to get going using AI tools.
Tips and strategies to integrate AI into your hiring
Help recruiters get comfortable with using AI. For organisations uncertain about where to start, an AI playground can provide a low-risk environment to experiment with tools and models. This helps recruiters see how AI can accelerate common tasks, like writing job ads or outreach messages.
Offer targeted training. Offer courses on mastering both the ins and outs of using AI in hiring, and the soft skills they’ll need to succeed.
Prioritise responsible AI use. ‘Invest in tools that are rigorously tested for accuracy and fairness,’ advises Salma Rashad, global executive vice president of talent acquisition at Siemens. ‘Make sure candidates understand how AI is being used in the hiring process. Ensure the tools you use protect candidates privacy and comply with data privacy regulations.’
Establish guiding principles on the use of AI. LinkedIn, for instance, has five principles guiding its AI work: advance economic opportunity, uphold trust, promote fairness and inclusion, provide transparency, and embrace accountability.
What talent leaders have to say…
AI is a powerful tool, but human oversight is what ensures it’s used responsibly and effectively.”
Jackye Clayton
VP of Talent and DEIB at Textio
The single most important thing talent leaders need to do is ‘AI self-enable’. You cannot make decisions about the direction of your AI-enabled Talent Acquisition team if you are not a fluent user of AI yourself.”
Hung Lee
Curator at Recruiting Brainfood
We will always need recruiters with great interpersonal skills who can communicate and influence powerfully.”
Noel Brown
Global Head of Talent Acquisition, HSBC
Quality of Hire
Organisations are getting serious about hiring the best possible candidates — and measuring the results
Hiring the best person for the job has always been a central component of recruiting, but it is now more critical than ever. The platform insights in this report measure quality of hire as a combination of demand, retention, and internal mobility — though there is no universal formula. Volatile business conditions are increasing demand for quality hires who can adapt to rapid change. “Maintaining a laser focus on the quality of our hiring process has become more vital than ever,” said Jude James of UST. “High-quality talent can navigate uncertainty, make informed decisions swiftly, and adapt to new technologies or processes.”
Another reason quality of hire is taking center stage: Employers have learned a lesson from the hiring binges of 2021 and 2022, when filling open slots quickly was the top priority, leading to some poor hiring decisions. With hiring now slower and more deliberate, organisations aim to ensure every hire contributes meaningfully to success.
It’s not surprising then, that as many as 89% of TA pros globally agree it will become increasingly important to measure quality of hire. Continuously assessing the value of recent hires offers valuable insights into recruitment effectiveness and informs improvements. For now, measuring quality of hire remains difficult, with 67% of MENA HR & TA leaders reporting It's more time-consuming than last year to find the right candidate for the role.
But AI is poised to help in measuring the elusive metric with tools that can streamline and enhance the measurement of quality of hire by:
• Analysing employee performance data to identify trends and benchmark success factors revealing which hiring strategies consistently yield top performers.
• Predicting long-term success by uncovering patterns in candidate attributes and post-hire outcomes.
• Standardising evaluations and eliminating unconscious biases that can skew perceptions of candidate quality.
Siemens, for instance, leverages AI tools to assist with resume parsing, predictive analysis, and benchmarking to make more precise assessments of candidates’ skills and potential.
“AI-powered tools can analyse vast amounts of data to identify candidates with the highest likelihood of success, offering predictive insights that go beyond resumes and conventional interviews,” Salma Rashad said.
As more organisations adopt AI tools to enhance efficiency, recruiters are increasingly recognising the benefits. In fact, 83% of TA in MENA pros say AI makes finding qualified candidates easier.
LinkedIn data shows that companies making frequent use of AI-Assisted Messaging are +9% more likely to make a quality hire than those using it minimally. What are some other ways organisations can boost quality of hire? LinkedIn’s new research underscores the crucial role of employer branding. Companies that are known for delivering on certain candidate priorities — like the ability to work with talented people — are more likely to make a quality hire.
83% of MENA TA pros Say AI makes finding qualified candidates easier.
The takeaway is clear: employer branding isn’t just about attracting talent; it’s a proven means to attracting quality hires. Focusing on things that matter to candidates, key talent drivers like flexibility and innovation can give organisations a measurable edge in hiring.
Tips and strategies to measure and improve your quality of hire
Tips and strategies to measure and improve your quality of hire
Devise a strategy and stick to it. Uber, for instance, created a three-part framework for improving and measuring quality of hire:
1. Develop success profiles, i.e. the common attributes of the best performers at the organisation;
2. Create an assessment process that uses these standards as a benchmark for evaluating candidates;
3. Validate the quality of your hires with post-hire surveys of hiring managers.
Find the quality of hire measurement method that’s right for your organisation. Quality of hire is typically calculated as a combination of other metrics, the most common being job performance ratings (66%), new hire retention (60%), and new hire satisfaction (44%), according to our survey. No matter which metrics you use, the most important thing is to measure them consistently.
Explore AI tools that can help improve quality of hire. LinkedIn, for example, is experimenting with using AI tools to record and analyse transcripts of interviews conducted by recruiters. Using this information, LinkedIn can determine the areas that need improvement and ultimately lead to better quality of hire.
Bolster your employer brand. Make sure you’re highlighting what candidates care about. Does your organisation offer opportunities to work on innovative projects? Do your employees get to learn in-demand skills? Spell these out clearly in your branding and in your candidate communications.
What talent leaders have to say…
“Transparency throughout the recruitment process is essential to ensure that the candidate can be, as much as possible, their true self. Being genuine during the interview process, from the first contact to the onboarding, will improve the quality of the interview, assessment and hire.”
Shirlene Griffiths
Senior Talent Acquisition Lead,
Dassault Systemes
“Understanding what makes top performers awesome at their jobs is the first step to improving quality of hire.”
Skills-Based Hiring
As employers strive to fill skills gaps, skills-based hiring is gaining steam
Skills-based hiring – the practice of hiring based on candidates’ skills, and not on the degrees they might have or their job history – is becoming an increasingly important priority in a rapidly shifting economy. As employers strive to keep up with advances in technology, they’re seeking employees who have certain skills — including AI skills — to fill skill gaps.
In fact, 93% of global TA pros believe accurately assessing a candidate’s skills is crucial for improving quality of hire. And in fact, LinkedIn data shows that companies with the most skills-based searches are +12% more likely to make a quality hire.
Skills-based hiring can be both challenging and time-consuming, with 52% of TA professionals in MENA struggling to find candidates who possess the right technical skills for their roles – but AI is poised to change that. AI tools can help recruiters analyse resumes to uncover skills, automate skills assessments, remove bias from the hiring process and more.
The increase in efficiency provided by AI in automating basic recruitment tasks has allowed recruiters to allocate more time to candidate conversations and to act as strategic advisors to clients and candidates. Sentiment around AI use in the workplace has sharply increased, with 83% of TA professionals in MENA agreeing that AI has made hiring for skills easier.
By focusing on what candidates can do — not just where they’ve been — skills-based hiring unlocks untapped potential and removes bias from the hiring process providing more opportunities to underrepresented groups. Not only does this approach expand access to talent, but it also drives better alignment between candidates and roles, translating into more quality hires and long-term success. It’s no wonder that employers are increasingly dropping degree requirements: In 2023, 26% of paid job posts on LinkedIn didn’t require a degree, compared to 22% in 2020 — a difference of 4 percentage points that translates into +16% increase.
93% of global TA pros believe accurately assessing a candidate’s skills is crucial for improving quality of hire.
But while organisations are increasingly focused on skills-based hiring, implementing this approach effectively requires more than just good intentions. Employers will need a well-thought-out strategy that includes identifying skills, assessing candidates, and structuring the hiring process.
Tips and strategies for skills-based hiring
Make the most of AI. Use AI tools to analyse the skills required for success in each role. These insights can help refine job descriptions, ensuring they attract candidates with the right capabilities.
Find new ways to evaluate candidates’ skills. These might include skills assessments, problem-solving exercises, and simulations of on-the-job experiences to see candidates’ skills in action. For example, Siemens uses task-based assessments from Arctic Shores to gauge adaptability, problem-solving, and technical competencies.
Standardise interviews. Standardise interviews with structured protocols that focus on evaluating skills rather than relying on intuition. This approach not only ensures consistency but also minimises bias.
What talent leaders have to say…
"We take a consulting-first approach to talent acquisition, focusing on evaluating candidates beyond their resumes. Our robust framework includes role-specific assessments, behavioral interviews and AI-driven tools that reduce bias, ensuring candidates possess the skills needed for success"
Manjula Arkeri
Head of Recruitment, TASC Group
“We have more information than ever before, greater insights on our own workforce, the labor market, and the skills we need to enable our growth strategy.”
Noel Brown
Global Head of Talent Acquisition, HSBC
“Hiring without relying on experience opens up a vast pool of talent, bringing an abundance of thought diversity, unique capabilities and perspectives into the organisation.”
Salma Rashad
Global Executive Vice President of Talent Acquisition, Siemens
Final thoughts
Adapting to the age of AI might seem daunting. As sweeping changes transform the workplace, recruiters in MENA will need to learn new skills, harness new technologies, and be willing to embrace new strategies.
While AI certainly poses some challenges, it also presents an extraordinary opportunity for talent professionals. By mastering AI tools, recruiters can step into the role of strategic talent advisors, showcase their value, and help shape the workforce of the future.
Final thoughts
Final thoughts
Adapting to the age of AI might seem daunting. As sweeping changes transform the workplace, recruiters in Beleux will need to learn new skills, harness new technologies, and be willing to embrace new strategies.
While AI certainly poses some challenges, it also presents an extraordinary opportunity for talent professionals. By mastering AI tools, recruiters can step into the role of strategic talent advisors, showcase their value, and help shape the workforce of the future.
Global report
Staffing report
Regional data cuts
Australia | United Kingdom | Germany | India | South East Asia
Methodology
Censuswide survey data
This research was conducted by Censuswide between November 28 to December 17, 2024, among 500 HR professionals in MENA. Censuswide abides by and employs members of the Market Research Society which is based on the ESOMAR principles. Censuswide are members of the British Polling Council.
Platform insights
Platform insights for this report were derived from the billions of data points generated by the 1 billion members in over 200 countries on LinkedIn today. Talent acquisition (TA) professionals are LinkedIn members with a recruiting role. To measure the growth of TA pros learning AI skills, we compared the number of skills explicitly added by members over a 12-month period (October 2023 to September 2024) against the previous 12-month period (October 2022 to September 2023). AI skills include AI literacy skills, which made up the great majority of what TA pros were learning (as opposed to AI engineering skills). Learn more here.
For skills increasingly mentioned in paid job posts for recruiting roles, only skills explicitly mentioned in a job description are included. The odds ratio (e.g., 9x increase in relationship-building skill requirements) is calculated as the share of job posts that require a particular skill in the last 12 months (Nov 2023 - Oct 2024) vs. the share of job posts requiring that same skill in the preceding 12 months (Nov 2022 - Oct 2023).
For quality of hire analyses, we measured quality by giving equal weight to three measures: demand (whether the hire was in high demand, i.e., top 25% of members receiving InMails from recruiters within 1 year before hire); retention (whether the hire stayed at least one year at the company of hire); and mobility (whether the hire moved to a second role within the company within a year of the initial hire). Note: these are the best metrics available via LinkedIn platform data, though calculating quality of hire at your own company is typically calculated with internal data.
Companies using AI-Assisted Messaging the most are those within the top quartile, measured by the share of all InMails sent that were AI-assisted. Companies with the most skills-based searches are those who have a disproportionate share (25% or more) of recruiters within the top quartile for performing searches on LinkedIn using the skills filter.
Employers known for delivering on certain candidate priorities are those within the top quartile as measured by LinkedIn’s Talent Drivers survey, which asks members how well they think companies provide various benefits to employees. Talent Drivers data includes responses on over 1,250 companies as of October 2024.
For the paid job postings without degree requirements, this report follows the same methodology <found here> [https://www.linkedin.com/business/talent/blog/talent-acquisition/fewer-jobs-require-degrees-impact-on-hiring] with data from the complete calendar years of 2020 and 2023.
Survey data
LinkedIn Research surveyed 1,271 recruiting professionals in management seniority roles or higher (1,019 corporate recruiting pros, 252 search and staffing pros). Survey respondents are LinkedIn members who were selected to participate based on information in their LinkedIn profile and qualified based on survey responses. This survey was conducted in four languages across 23 countries in September 2024.
Acknowledgments
This report was informed by insightful interviews with recruiting leaders around the world, to whom we owe our sincere thanks, including:
Manjula Arkeri at TASC Group
John Vlastelica at Recruiting Toolbox
Hung Lee at Recruiting Brainfood
Salma Rashad at Siemens
Noel Brown at HSBC
Shirlene Griffiths at Dassault Systemes
Ana Recio at Uber
Eric Dozier at Eli Lilly
Kerstin Wagner at Deutsche Bahn
David Luyet at Swisscom AG
Roles held by talent leaders are current as of November — December 2024, when the quotes were given. Please refer to LinkedIn profiles for the latest information.