Almost half of U.S. job seekers think that using artificial intelligence in job recruitment processes leads to more biases, according to a new survey.
Conducted by The Harris Poll, the survey, known as the latest American Staffing Association Workforce Monitor online survey, was made up of 2,037 U.S. adults – 1,225 of whom were already employed.
The results found that approximately 49% of job seekers were distrustful of the usage of the new technology in hiring processes, claiming that it is more biased than humans. Artificial intelligence, otherwise known as AI, was used more often amongst high-level positions, with 50% and 51% of respondents reporting that it was used when applying to C-Suite and Senior Management positions, respectively.
The tool was also most likely encountered by Black American and Hispanic American job seekers. Per the survey, 34% of Black American and 36% of Hispanic American job seekers have used AI to apply for a job.
#HRTech trending? 49% of employed job seekers believe AI tools are more biased than their human counterparts, according to the latest ASA Workforce Monitor conducted with @HarrisPoll. Read the full results at https://t.co/YlqUcU9tYv #staffing #jobs #jobsearch #recruiting https://t.co/soyfuOulXb
— American Staffing Association (@StaffingTweets) September 8, 2023
“Job seekers may feel comfortable using artificial intelligence tools in their job search, but that does not equate to trusting AI to make fair hiring decisions,” said the ASA chief executive officer, Richard Wahlquist, per a public statement. “As AI tools become more widely deployed, it’s critical that hiring managers work to increase transparency and accountability in their hiring processes and use tools that meet current and emerging anti bias standards.”
“It’s also critically important that policymakers and technologists thoughtfully consider measures intended to lower bias in AI hiring systems,” he added.
The increased usage of AI, in general, has caused concerns for increased unemployment rates. Per a recent report by Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc., AI accounted for five percent of job losses in May. Considered the seventh-highest contributor to lost employment, approximately 3,900 employees lost their jobs due to the new technology. In total, over 80,000 employees lost their jobs in one month, signifying a 20% jump in unemployment from the previous month.
The recent increased rates of unemployment correlate to an increased rate of unhoused individuals in the U.S. Per a recent report by the National Alliance to End Homelessness, the rates of unhoused individuals have been on the rise since 2017, increasing a total of six percent since then.
Overall, BIPOC Americans are amongst the groups that have the highest rates of being unhoused. While Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islanders comprise rates of 121 out of every 10,000 people who are unhoused, Black Americans make up 48 out of every 10,000 unhoused individuals.
The number is four times more than those of white Americans, who record rates of 11 people out of every 10,000 people that are unhoused.
