LinkedIn has rolled out its first AI-powered recruiting agent in Australia. The LinkedIn Hiring Assistant is now generally available, offering recruiters a new tool to identify hidden talent and accelerate the hiring process.

The AI assistant automates repetitive tasks such as sourcing, screening, and candidate outreach, freeing recruiters to focus on the human aspects of hiring, including candidate engagement, advising hiring managers, and making strategic decisions.

Early adopters are currently reporting significant efficiency gains, including saving more than four hours per role, cutting profile reviews by 62%, and boosting InMail response rates by 69%.

Recruiters Face Rising Pressure as AI and Job Volume Surge

Australian recruiters are under growing strain, with LinkedIn research showing 41% of job seekers are applying to more roles than ever—averaging seven applications per week—making it increasingly difficult to identify top candidates.

At the same time, AI is reshaping the landscape, with 34% of Australians reporting they’ve used AI tools to craft CVs and cover letters.

The impact on HR teams is significant: nearly one in five professionals (17%) spend three to five hours daily reviewing applications, while 94% say most submissions fail to meet the role’s stated requirements.

Skills in Demand to Shift Dramatically by 2030

As technology accelerates workplace change, LinkedIn data indicates that the skills required for Australian jobs are set to shift by 66% by 2030 compared to 2016, making it harder for companies to secure the talent they need.

LinkedIn’s Hiring Assistant is designed to address this challenge with skills-based candidate recommendations, prioritising abilities over traditional markers like university attended or past employers.

By running dozens of searches across LinkedIn, the AI agent uncovers talent pools that recruiters might otherwise miss and refines its recommendations based on user feedback.

A skills-focused approach also broadens access to talent. LinkedIn data shows it can expand candidate pools by 7.7 times in Australia.

Additionally, 68% of Australian HR professionals believe AI will create more career opportunities for individuals from diverse backgrounds, and 56% expect it will encourage employers to prioritise skills over traditional credentials such as degrees.

Adam Gregory, Senior Director, ANZ, LinkedIn Talent and Learning Solutions, said: “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,” said Gregory

“To help tackle this challenge, our new AI agent is designed to take on a recruiter’s most repetitive tasks, such as sourcing, screening and engaging candidates, so they can spend more time on their most impactful work,”

“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.” he said.

Early Adopters See Strong Results

In Australia, design, engineering and advisory company, 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, said: “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.” he said.

Lucy McGhee, Aurecon Talent Acquisition Lead Victoria and South Australia, said: “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,” she said.

With the launch of Hiring Assistant, LinkedIn aims to empower Australian recruiters to work smarter, reduce administrative burdens, and focus on connecting with the right talent.

LinkedIn has 1.2 billion members and 310 million monthly active users, including 234 million in the U.S., 148 million in India, and over 630 million across Europe and Asia. Its new AI Hiring Assistant aims to transform recruitment by connecting recruiters with talent at scale