UK employers lag global peers on AI hiring as candidate trust remains fragile

The useful part

More than half of UK employers surveyed by Morgan McKinley are not using AI in recruitment, compared with 36% globally, according to the company's 2026 Global AI Report. At the same time, 28% of UK candidates said they would be less likely to apply for a role if AI evaluated their application, compared with 23% globally. "Organisations will need to balance the benefits of AI with transparency and human oversight.

How it works

• work." Chris Lawton, Morgan McKinley Trust and verification are emerging as practical challenges.
• The findings suggest recruitment teams need to explain how technology is used and where people remain responsible for decisions.
• Published by Onrec 29 Sep 2026 | AI & Automation UK employers lag global peers on AI hiring as candidate trust remains fragile Morgan McKinley's research finds that 55% of UK employers are not using AI in...
• The research found that 55% of UK employers had not adopted AI in hiring.
• Some 40% of UK employers said it had become harder to verify candidates' skills and experience, while 25% said application volumes were slowing screening.

Details worth keeping

Among UK candidates, 27% distrusted AI in hiring. Some 56% of UK employers described their app...