3 in 5 Indian Recruiters Struggle to Balance AI & Human Skills: Report

After two years generative AI has progressed from being a jargon term to something more, but it still isn’t of much importance. Recent studies show that 98 percent of business executives in India purposed that their main goal in 2025 is to drive forward the deployment of AI in their organizations. However, locating the right skilled personnel is still an issue.

Professional Networking Online LinkedIn latest report states that fetching the correct assortment of human and AI skills is problematic for almost 3 in 5 recruiters within India.

LinkedIn analytics states, 54 percent of HR professionals in India say that less than half of the applicants they receive for the position are qualified and have the desired skills.

Their major hindrances in the recruitment process is identifying the right candidates with the required technical (61 percent) and soft skills (57). Some of the most elusive skills in India are IT and software development and engineering (44%), AI skills (34%) and softskills like communication and problem-solving (33%).

Per HR professionals, they get too many applications (approximately half) from candidates who are unqualified or not suitable for the position (41 percent). Over half of HR professionals in India report that they would consider actively engaging (55 percent) and hiring (54 percent) candidates who claim to possess 80% or more of the qualifications.

Ruchee Anand, Country Head-India, Talent and Learning Solutions at LinkedIn, says, "AI is transforming the way we recruit and nurture talent, but the real unlock isn’t simply in AI adoption. It’s in making it work for the business. More often than not, organizations squander funds on AI tools with no useful personnel to leverage them. What could have been an amazing opportunity is missed instead.”

Anand contends that businesses should start thinking about hiring with a ‘skills-first mindset’ because it is human skills that will help companies innovate - AI will only be the tool. Skills such as creativity, communication and collaboration will ensure innovation.

Consequently, over 80 percent (84 percent to be precise) of HR professionals in India consider aiding employees in acquiring new competencies as their single most important focus area for 2025, with a significant emphasis on upskilling them in AI (84 percent) and foundational soft skills such as communication and collaboration (82 percent). This is the same sentiment registered with all (100 percent) of the surveyed learning and development professionals in India, stating that soft skills like creativity, curiosity, and communication are as important as technical skills today.

Almost half (48 percent) of Indian leaders also claim that nurturing learning and development around AI will be important for increasing the pace of adoption. 

As companies tread on a delicate economic environment, LinkedIn is rolling out new tools that will allow recruiters to shift their focus to the most strategic and people-intensive tasks. LinkedIn also introduced its Hiring Assistant application which will help recruiters complete mundane tasks. 37 percent of HR professionals in India spend 1-3 hours daily reviewing job applications and close to two-thirds (64 percent) of these professionals feel that AI tools can accelerate the hiring process and ease the workload.

They state that 7 in 10 (71 percent) HR professionals from India encounter major challenges when attempting to obtain customized learning materials. LinkedIn Learning's new artificial intelligence based coaching feature helps users strengthen soft skills with simulated real-life interactions through chat or speech. Learners are able to practice performance reviews and feedback conversations to help promote self-confidence in workplace scenarios; then at the end of every practice, learners receive tangible personalized comments that aid in skill enhancement.