Looking forward to the next five years, artificial intelligence is on the minds of the companies supplying tech to staffing firms.

A majority of these firms, 64%, said AI is the technology that will have the biggest impact on their business, according to a new report by Jon Osborne, VP of strategic research at SIA. No other tech was cited as frequently , though other responses included blockchain, app-based solutions, decline of job boards and VMS-mobile app integration.

Tech suppliers surveyed included companies that provide front- and back-office software, online job advertising and candidate assessment.

AI will impact tech suppliers’ businesses in several ways. Among them:

• Automate repetitive tasks to enhance efficiency, 64%
• Improve customer engagement, 58%
• Generate better data analysis/predictive analytics, 57%
• Improved operational efficiency, 57%
• Development of new product/service lines, 53%
• Better product/service deployment, 53%

Types of AI that suppliers plan to use include machine learning, 70%; generative AI, 70%; and natural language processing, 58%.

The full report, Survey of Technology Suppliers to Staffing Firms 2024, is available to corporate members of SIA.