RW - foRWard Health & Wellbeing eMag - June 25 - Flipbook - Page 21
AI adoption has already become a business imperative and is fast
becoming a strategic advantage for organisations that can move
beyond experimentation and into successful deployment of AI
technology.
For organisations across Australia and New Zealand, that’s no di昀昀erent. In a recent article1
published in June 2025, it showed that 30% of companies in Australia use predictive AI in
recruitment compared to the global rate of 42%. While this indicates that Australia is lagging
in AI adoption, it may also demonstrate a more strategic approach to adopt AI slowly but
in an impactful way – allowing companies to really consider their AI implementation and
utilise tools that truly support strategic e昀昀iciency gains. Similarly, in New Zealand there has
been a signi昀椀cant surge in AI adoption. In a study of more than 800 white-collar employees
conducted in May 2025, 76% of workers reported feeling positive about AI – especially its
ability to assist with repetitive tasks, communication, and information management2.
Although this adoption of AI in both Australia and New Zealand showcases the region’s push
to embrace this new technology, hiring managers across the globe have already witnessed
the signi昀椀cant risks associated with the evolution of AI technology within the hiring landscape.
Most notably, the ability for “deep fake” candidates to secure roles through impersonation,
or the class action lawsuit currently running in the US, highlighting the potential risks of bias
and discrimination in AI powered screening tools. While there is absolutely the potential
for productivity gains, without a well thought out AI utilisation strategy, organisations may
struggle to see any measurable bene昀椀t from implementing AI tools. As a testament to this
current state of ‘nearly but not quite’, in a recent Robert Walters survey conducted in April
2025, 58% of talent acquisition professionals mentioned that their organisation had not yet
seen any measurable bene昀椀t from the implementation of AI technology in the hiring process.
