Job Seekers Struggle to Connect with Employers: LinkedIn

New data from LinkedIn reveals a growing gap between job seekers and employers as companies struggle to fill positions while more workers search for new opportunities. To assist businesses and job seekers, LinkedIn is introducing new tools designed to streamline the hiring process.

Nearly three out of five people are actively looking for jobs, yet two-thirds of HR professionals report increasing difficulty in finding qualified candidates over the past year, as reported by LinkedIn. The rise in job seekers is mirrored by a rise in applications, with 37% of job seekers submitting more applications than ever, but receiving fewer responses.

The mismatch is exacerbated by evolving skill requirements. LinkedIn’s Work Change Report highlights a sharp increase in demand for AI talent, with global hiring for AI roles up over 300% in the past eight years. The report also found that 71% of the roles featured in this year’s Jobs on the Rise list were new additions, emphasizing how quickly business needs are changing. By 2030, the skills required for many jobs are expected to shift by 70%, driven by advancements in AI.

This rapid evolution in job requirements has left HR professionals grappling with how to meet changing demands. The most common challenges they face include the difficulty in finding candidates with the right technical and soft skills. Furthermore, 63% of HR professionals believe there is a skills mismatch between what job seekers can offer and what employers require.

“Finding the right person for a role often feels like finding a needle in a haystack. And it is natural that companies have been finding it harder to find the talent they need — especially when you consider that many of the fastest-growing job roles we see today did not even exist 20 years ago,” says Olivier Sabella, Vice President, LinkedIn.

To address these challenges, businesses are turning to new strategies. Nearly nine in 10 C-suite executives are prioritizing AI adoption to keep pace with changing market demands. LinkedIn’s data reveals that AI-powered hiring tools are seen as critical in streamlining the recruitment process.

To further support businesses and job seekers, LinkedIn is rolling out new tools to simplify the hiring process. One of the major updates is the new job match feature, designed to help job seekers identify positions that align with their skills and experience. LinkedIn is also introducing an AI assistant within LinkedIn Jobs for small businesses to help them post jobs and find qualified candidates more efficiently. 

LinkedIn is also continuing the roll-out of its Hiring Assistant, launched in October, which helps recruiters by automating repetitive tasks and focusing on skills-based candidate matching rather than relying on traditional criteria like educational background or previous employers.