Artificial intelligence promised to make recruiting faster and more efficient. From screening resumes to scheduling interviews, technology was expected to take time-consuming tasks off recruiters’ plates and help employers fill openings sooner. However, new research suggests the results haven’t lived up to those expectations.

According to a September 2026 report from ManpowerGroup, only one-third of employers said their time-to-hire had improved compared with the previous year. Another 42% reported no change, while 25% said hiring had actually slowed down. The findings raise an important question for employers: If companies are investing in recruiting technology, why are so many still struggling to get candidates across the finish line?

AI may be helping recruiters process information, but it hasn't necessarily solved the underlying problems that delay hiring. Employers continue to report shortages of qualified candidates, mismatches between applicant skills and job requirements, and lengthy recruitment processes. Other recent research points to a similar problem – AI assisted resume development and job applications. In March 2026, Robert Half reported that 67% of U.S. HR leaders said AI-generated job applications had slowed hiring. Eighty-four percent reported heavier workloads as AI-tailored applications increased, while 65% of hiring managers said these applications made candidates’ skills harder to verify.

In other words, technology is changing the work recruiters do but not always reducing it. Reviewing more applications is of limited value if employers still need additional interviews, assessments, and verification to determine who can actually do the job.

Despite longer hiring timelines and persistent difficulties finding qualified candidates, employers still need to fill positions. ManpowerGroup found that 48% of U.S. employers planned to increase staffing in the fourth quarter of 2026. The result is a difficult balancing act: companies need talent to support growth, but their recruiting processes aren't necessarily helping them secure it any faster. In an August survey from Express Employment and Harris Poll found that 44% of U.S. hiring managers reported open positions they had been unable to fill, up from 36% a year ago. The research also found that one in five open positions closed without a hire.

AI may eventually make hiring faster and more efficient, but the latest findings suggest that technology alone can’t solve the problem. Closing the gap between hiring intentions and actual results requires more than an expectation that AI will fix what’s broken. Employers need to take a hard look at their own hiring processes and address the underlying issues that continue to slow things down.

Employers should consider several practical steps:

• Review the process. Identify delays between application review, interviews, feedback, and offers. Determine which steps add value and which simply extend the timeline.
• Focus on skills, not application volume. Establish clear qualifications and use consistent assessments to identify candidates who can perform the work.
• Keep human judgment involved. AI can assist with screening and administrative tasks, but recruiters and hiring managers still need to evaluate experience, context, and potential.
• Improve hiring-manager responsiveness. Agree on interview schedules, decision deadlines, and feedback expectations before launching a search.
• Measure results. Track time-to-hire alongside candidate quality, offer acceptance, and retention. Faster hiring isn't an improvement if it leads to poor matches.

Sources: HRDive; Manpower Group; Robert Half; Express Employment