A YouGov survey of HR and recruitment leaders reveals a growing divide between the UK and faster-moving international markets around AI hiring expectations, confidence and its role within recruitment.
According to new research conducted by YouGov on behalf of HireRight, a leading provider of global background screening services and workforce solutions, organisations worldwide are embracing AI as a driver of job creation and recruitment transformation while UK HR leaders remain more cautious, less confident and significantly less positive than their global counterparts.
UK not expecting AI-driven hiring growth in 2026
Globally, HR decision-makers are optimistic about AI’s overall impact on hiring volumes, with a net +13% expecting workforce growth by the end of 2026.
While markets such as India, South-East Asia and Australia are anticipating strong AI-driven job growth this year, UK businesses are more likely to expect hiring volumes to decline due to AI.
Just 18% expect AI to increase hiring volumes – compared with 52% in India and 43% in Brazil – 19% believe it will reduce hiring and 40% expect little to no impact, indicating widespread uncertainty.
HR’s tentative first steps into using AI
More than two fifths (42%) of UK HR leaders say they’re not currently using AI to support their HR functions – the highest percentage from the locations surveyed. In comparison, just 6% of Singapore respondents and 3% of India respondents said the same.
Training and development (25%) and candidate selection/resume filtering (25%) are the most common HR functions UK businesses are supporting with AI tools. These ranked first and third globally, suggesting that while adoption rates in the UK are below the global averages of 40% and 32% respectively, similar use cases are being explored across the world.
UK employers less aware of candidates using AI
Almost three in 10 UK HR leaders admit lacking confidence in identifying when generative AI (GenAI) tools have been used by candidates on their application forms or CVs.
While 71% of UK HR leaders say they are confident they can identify candidates who have used GenAI tools in their applications, this is below the global average (82%) and notably behind the likes of India and Australia (both 92%) where confidence is almost universal.
Crucially, just 12% of UK respondents say they are very confident, compared with more than half of Indian HR leaders (54%), highlighting a sizeable awareness gap.
UK employers more sceptical about candidates using AI
Despite growing global acceptance of AI-assisted applications, UK employers are generally more sceptical about this than their international peers.
Just 16% of UK HR decision-makers view candidates using AI positively – markedly lower than in India (63%), Brazil (61%) and the Middle East (54%).
At the same time, many UK respondents expressed concern that candidates may be using AI tools to embellish their skills and experience to mislead prospective employers, with 28% seeing such use negatively, which is more than double the global average (13%). Additionally, nearly half of UK HR leaders (46%) remain neutral, suggesting hesitation rather than clear adoption.
Other global markets move ahead with confidence and optimism
Across several international markets, a clear pattern is emerging with businesses not only confident in their ability to manage AI in recruitment but also embracing it as a tool to improve hiring outcomes.
“The findings of our survey point to a widening divide,” said Rob Harwood Reid, VP of Go-To-Market UK and Europe at HireRight. “While other global markets seem to be pushing ahead, embracing AI tools in recruitment and preparing for workforce expansion, UK businesses are generally approaching AI rather more vigilantly, which could lead to a competitive disadvantage for those with slower rates of adoption – or choosing to abstain from using AI altogether.”
“As AI continues to reshape the workforce, UK HR leaders with more progressive attitudes towards AI are more likely to experience its full potential in supporting key HR functions, such as talent acquisition, HR administration and workforce management.”
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About the YouGov Research
All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. This release is based on the findings from a global survey of 1,061 HR and recruitment decision makers working at organisations across the UK (204), the UAE (100), Saudi Arabia (101), India (233), Australia (100), Singapore (142), the Philippines (81) and Brazil (100). Fieldwork was carried out online and undertaken between 18 February – 6 March 2026.
About HireRight
HireRight is a leading global provider of technology-driven workforce risk management and compliance solutions. We provide comprehensive background screening, verification, identification, monitoring and drug and health screening services for customers around the world to help mitigate their employment risk. We offer our services via a global platform that tightly integrates into our customers’ human capital management systems, enabling highly effective and efficient workflows for workforce hiring, onboarding, and monitoring. For more information, visit www.HireRight.com.
