As the number of applicants grows, so do hiring challenges.

New data from LinkedIn shows that both employers and candidates have expressed concern about the increasing difficulty of recruitment.

According to a study by professional networking platform, while 61% of UK workers plan to seek new jobs in 2025 and 54% of job seekers and 79% HR professionals think the hiring process is more difficult than it used to be.

Two in five candidates (41%) are applying to more jobs but not getting as many responses. 42 % of HR professionals say that fewer than 50% of the applications they receive meet the requirements of their roles, and 23% spend three to five hours per day reviewing applications.

LinkedIn says that the mismatch in skills and roles is due in part to the changes in business needs. Its data shows that nearly 55% of the UK jobs on the Rise list didn’t exist 25 years earlier.

The latest Work Change Report found that AI development is expected to accelerate the shift in skills required for jobs, which are predicted to change by 70% by 2030.

The top challenge for HR professionals was finding candidates with the right soft and technical skills. This was cited by 49% of respondents and 42% of respondents respectively. Over three-quarters (61%) of HR professionals believe there is a mismatch in the skills required by employers and those sought by job seekers.

Nearly half of respondents (45%) think that access to new technology in hiring, such as AI-driven tools would speed up the process, while 67% believe it would make it easier.

Employers are planning to upgrade their current workforce’s skills in areas like soft skills, AI, and sustainability. 68%, 64%, and 65% respectively, have cited this as a way to address the skills shortage.

Janine Chamberlin is the head of LinkedIn UK. She said that businesses need to find ways to close any gaps in their organizations. “Work and hiring are changing rapidly. The skills required for jobs will change by 70% by 2030. It is a great opportunity for leaders and jobseekers to think about skills differently and remain competitive. LinkedIn’s new tool for job matching is designed to simplify the process of hiring by matching up jobseekers to employers who are seeking specific skills and roles.

James Milligan is Hays’ global head of engineering, technology and contracting. He said: “Whether it’s a company looking to gain an edge over competitors or a job seeker searching for their next position, you’ll be left behind if don’t embrace the latest technologies, like AI. Take a look at how much work has been digitised in the last few years. It is highly probable that a company would not exist today if it did not digitise, and still used older methods like filing cabinets, pen and paper and other old-fashioned tools. It will be the same for candidates and organizations who don’t embrace AI. They will be left behind. It is likely that the true impact of climate change will be felt in 2030. However, preparations must be made today. “Those who embrace the technology will win later, while those who ignore it will probably be out of business within a few short years.”

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