Automation will help to promote, not eliminate, top talent, according to 67% of staffing professionals polled by staffing industry software provider Bullhorn at its recent conference. Artificial intelligence could relieve talent of tasks that don’t add value such as scheduling and screening so they can grow their relationships.

On the other hand, 33% of those surveyed said they plan to replace talent with technology to lower prices so they can build the most efficient businesses possible.    

The survey also queried the recruiting professionals about the rise of the “gig economy” and human cloud technology platforms’ impact on staffing. Fifty-seven percent of respondents said they see partnership opportunities with digital staffing platforms because of their attractive prices; however, 43% see online talent platforms thwarting their businesses because of increased competition. 

The audience was also asked about the merits of pursuing organic growth versus mergers and acquisition. According to the data, 69% of staffing professionals said they prefer to build their organizations organically, while 31% said they favor to grow their businesses through mergers and acquisitions, which are accelerating because of private equity and cheap debt.

Bullhorn conducted the research based a real-time survey of 1,000 staffing professionals attending a keynote presentation at Engage 2017, its annual recruitment industry conference held June 7 to June 9, 2017.