Australian recruiters are spending up to 5 hours daily reviewing applications that don’t meet criteria. LinkedIn’s new AI agent could change that.
What’s happening: LinkedIn has launched Hiring Assistant in Australia, its first AI agent designed to automate repetitive recruitment tasks including sourcing, screening and candidate outreach.
Why this matters: Australian recruiters face mounting pressure as 41% of job seekers apply to more roles than ever, averaging seven applications weekly, whilst 34% use AI tools to generate CVs and cover letters. Nearly one fifth of HR professionals spend three to five hours daily reviewing applications, with 94% reporting that most submissions fail to meet job criteria.
Australian recruiters are drowning in applications. Now, they’re getting an AI lifeline.
LinkedIn has made its first AI agent, Hiring Assistant, available to Australian recruiters from today, promising to tackle one of the sector’s most pressing challenges: finding qualified candidates in a sea of applications.
The timing couldn’t be more critical. According to LinkedIn research, two in five Australian job seekers say they are applying to more jobs than ever, submitting an average of seven applications per week. Meanwhile, 34% of Australians admit they’ve used AI to help craft CVs and cover letters, making it increasingly difficult for recruiters to identify genuinely qualified candidates.
The result? Almost one fifth of HR professionals are spending between three to five hours a day sifting through applications, with 94% reporting that the majority of submissions they receive do not meet the criteria listed.
Adam Gregory, Senior Director, ANZ, LinkedIn Talent and Learning Solutions, explains the problem: “Recruiters are under growing pressure as more people apply for roles that don’t match their skills. In Australia, 68% of HR professionals say it’s become harder to find qualified talent over the past year, with AI tools making it quicker and easier for job seekers to submit applications.”
The AI agent is designed to take on repetitive tasks such as sourcing, screening and engaging candidates, freeing recruiters to focus on more strategic work. Gregory adds: “In place of traditional ‘post and pray’ job ad methods, LinkedIn Hiring Assistant scans profiles from our unparalleled hiring pool of 16 million members in Australia and over 1.2 billion globally, to surface strong matches, draft personalised messages and uncover top talent they might otherwise miss.”
Early results
Early adopters are reporting significant time savings. The tool helps recruiters save over four hours per role, reduces the number of profiles they need to review by 62% and achieves a 69% improvement in InMail acceptance rates.
Australian engineering and infrastructure consultancy Aurecon has fully integrated Hiring Assistant into its recruitment process, cutting candidate sourcing time by around 30%.
Shaun Du Preez, Aurecon Talent Acquisition Lead NSW & ACT, describes the impact: “Hiring Assistant is timesaving and I’ve seen about a 30% reduction in time spent on sourcing. It’s allowed me to drive more strategic conversations with hiring managers rather than repetitive search tasks. The quality of candidates Hiring Assistant is surfacing is a game-changer – we’re finding candidates that had previously gone unnoticed even in niche markets.”
Lucy McGhee, Aurecon Talent Acquisition Lead Victoria and South Australia, views the tool as more than just automation: “LinkedIn’s Hiring Assistant isn’t just an AI tool – it’s a strategic partner and companion in our hiring process. It shows how AI can empower recruiters to do what they do best – connect the right people to the right opportunities.”
The launch comes as Australian companies face a rapidly evolving skills landscape. LinkedIn data shows that the skills needed for jobs in Australia are projected to change by 66% by 2030 compared to 2016, making it harder for organisations to secure the talent they need.
Hiring Assistant attempts to address this through skills-based hiring, providing candidate recommendations based on actual skills rather than traditional proxies such as educational institutions or previous employers. By running multiple searches across LinkedIn to find the most qualified candidates, it can access talent pools that hirers might not typically reach. The tool also learns from feedback to deliver better matches over time.
Finding hidden talent
A skills-based approach can significantly widen access to talent. LinkedIn data shows it can expand candidate pools by 7.7 times in Australia, helping organisations find the right people faster. Among Australian HR professionals surveyed, 68% believe AI will expand career opportunities for people from diverse backgrounds and experiences, whilst over half say AI will encourage employers to focus more on skills than traditional credentials such as degrees.
The launch represents a significant shift in how recruitment technology is positioned. Rather than simply speeding up existing processes, the tool aims to change the fundamental approach, moving away from credential-based filtering towards skills-based matching, whilst AI tools continue to reshape both sides of the hiring equation.
For recruiters struggling to keep pace with application volumes, AI-powered recruitment tools are becoming essential rather than optional. As the job market continues to evolve, understanding current hiring trends will be crucial for organisations looking to secure top talent.
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