AI creating opportunities and intensifying competition in jobs market – survey

Irish workers say artificial intelligence (AI) is both creating opportunities and intensifying competition in the jobs market, according to a corporate survey.

The hiring software firm’s survey indicated that half of Irish workers fear for their jobs amid economic uncertainty and nearly two in three are struggling to navigate the jobs market – with AI intensifying competition.

Hiring company Greenhouse conducted a survey of 2,200 candidates, including 169 Irish-based workers along with workers from the UK and the US.

Seventy-three per cent of Irish workers indicated they are using AI when looking for a new job, mainly for interview preparation (42%), analysing job ads (28%) and generating work samples (25%).

A further 54% said AI is making job hunting harder by increasing skill standards and intensifying competition, while 41% said it created and helped uncover new opportunities.

The survey also indicated there is a lack of clarity on whether AI can be used when applying for jobs, with 82% of workers stating that employers provided little or no guidance on using AI in interviews.

Nearly half of Irish job seekers said they feel insecure in their current role, while 42% said the job market is very competitive.

Chief executive of Greenhouse, Daniel Chait, said hiring is “stuck in an AI doom loop”.

“As this technology advances, it makes it easier than ever to apply, flooding the system with noise,” he said.

“With 25% of Gen Z saying AI has made it harder for them to stand out, candidates entering the market are up against more applications, more automation, and less clarity.”

The survey also indicated that 49% of Irish job seekers said they had been asked inappropriate or biased questions during job application processes.

The most common of these was about health or disability status (21%), parental responsibilities (20%), and age (18%).

A further 69% said they had removed older experience from their CVs to try and avoid age-based assumptions, according to the survey.