Despite widespread adoption of HR tech, many business leaders still want a human touch for critical moments during the recruitment process, according to Randstad Sourceright’s Q3 2018 Talent Trends report.

The report’s survey included more than 800 global human capital leaders in 17 countries. It found that when it comes to tasks such as searching for talent, half of employers surveyed, 51%, believe initial screening should be mostly or completely automated. Similarly, the same percentage feel that automation is useful for tracking HR data/metrics and for the creation and management of HR analytics.

However, talent leaders still value human interactions because they say a personal touch at certain points in the recruitment process keeps candidates engaged.

The top three functions employers believe benefit from a personal touch include shortlisting candidates by video interviews, 28%; scheduling interviews with candidates, 27%; and managing talent communities and engagement, 26%.

“There has never been a better time for employers to explore the possibilities that technological innovation can bring to their recruitment processes,” said Michel Stokvis, managing director of the Randstad Sourceright’s global Talent Innovation Center. “It is now so much easier to source and screen talent, but at the same time, there’s an added level of complexity. This requires companies to consider the overall hiring experience, and, more specifically, to determine the best mix of tech and touch to improve recruiting outcomes.”

Additional findings from the survey include:

• Talent impact: 65% of employers globally believe HR tech will free up workers to focus on more knowledge-intensive tasks. That sentiment is even more profound in the US, with 82% saying HR tech will give hiring managers more time to focus on important tasks.
• Business impact: 86% of US employers said a robust talent tech strategy has had a positive impact on their business.
• Candidate search: 60% of US employers believe the task of searching databases for candidates should be mostly or completely automated.
• Smart technologies here to stay: 73% of human capital leaders said smart technologies will have an equal or greater impact on their organizations this year.