More than half of UK employers surveyed by Morgan McKinley are not using AI in recruitment, compared with 36% globally, according to the company’s 2026 Global AI Report.
The research found that 55% of UK employers had not adopted AI in hiring. At the same time, 28% of UK candidates said they would be less likely to apply for a role if AI evaluated their application, compared with 23% globally.
“Organisations will need to balance the benefits of AI with transparency and human oversight. Building trust will be critical as AI becomes more embedded in how people find and secure work.”
Chris Lawton, Morgan McKinley
Trust and verification are emerging as practical challenges. Some 40% of UK employers said it had become harder to verify candidates’ skills and experience, while 25% said application volumes were slowing screening. Among UK candidates, 27% distrusted AI in hiring.
The findings suggest recruitment teams need to explain how technology is used and where people remain responsible for decisions. Some 56% of UK employers described their approach as people-first.
Across the global sample, 78% of respondents used AI during job searches, including 59% for CVs and 43% for interview preparation. Only 5% trusted AI to make hiring decisions independently, compared with 44% when human oversight was involved.
The survey was conducted in the third quarter of 2026 among 2,106 respondents across seven markets: 1,962 employees and 144 employers. The UK sample comprised 359 respondents across both groups, so employer findings should be interpreted in light of the smaller employer base. Read the report.
