More than 3 out of 4 workers have already used AI in their job search, new survey finds

More than three out of four job seekers - some 77 per cent - say they have already used artificial intelligence (AI) when looking for employment, according to a new French survey.

Automatic recommendations offered by platforms like LinkedIn are the most used AI tool with 63 per cent of the respondents having used it at least once. 

Over three people out of 10 said they had used chatbots when looking for a new job.

"The results of this study are very positive overall on the use of AI by jobseekers, but they also reveal a worrying reality: while more than 75 per cent of job seekers are already using AI in their search, profound disparities persist," Jean-Christophe Vidal, Managing Director of Konexio, a non-for-profit learning centre which was one of the organisations that commissioned the survey, said in a statement. 

He added that the disparities affected particularly "the least qualified or the oldest people, for whom access to and appropriation of these tools remain limited".

According to the data collected on 5,300 French job hunters, 83 per cent of people under 25 used AI as part of their job search strategy, compared to only 69 per cent of people over 50.

Moreover, though 61 per cent of applicants with a master's degree reported feeling comfortable using these tools to obtain information, only 34 per cent of those with secondary education qualifications felt the same way.

"It is vital to ensure that AI does not further widen the digital divide, but instead becomes a lever for inclusion," Vidal added.

CVs, cover letters, and AI skills

The study also found that around four applicants out of 10 used AI to enhance their job applications using tools such as Canva or ChatGPT for CVs and cover letters.

However, AI is also a source of concern with four out of 10 job seekers wary of its use in the recruiting process; chief among those concerns was the loss of human interaction and the confidentiality of personal data.

"Artificial intelligence is not just a question of algorithms and technological performance. The potential it offers, as well as the risks it entails, depends on how it is used and how it is appropriated," said Cyril Nouveau, the Director of Statistics, Studies and Evaluation at France Travail, the French government’s public employment service.

"That's why it's important to have information on jobseekers' understanding of AI tools. The findings of this survey will enable us to adapt our training courses and the tools we offer to jobseekers," he added.  

Job seekers aren’t the only ones using AI; more than half of recruiters said they were using generative AI for job descriptions, according to the 2024 LinkedIn report about the future of recruiting.