The boss of a Scottish recruitment tech platform has suggested Andy Burnham’s recent comments about AI hiring practices are ‘confused’ – and not the reason so many young people are missing out on jobs.
Euan Cameron, CEO of Willo, a candidate screening platform, says the real problem lies with a shortage of entry-level opportunities in a low-growth economy and a labour market lacking the relevant skills employers seek.
Cameron, who runs the Glasgow-based platform, referred to the PM’s recent interview on the podcast Jimmy’s Jobs of the Future, which looks at the changing world of work.
Burnham, who championed Greater Manchester’s ambition to serve as a ‘UK AI demonstrator’ in March, told host Jimmy McLoughlin he was concerned that AI recruitment processes since the pandemic have been less fair.
He also hit out at remote Teams or Zoom interviews – instead of face-to-face – as preventing young candidates from being able to articulate their passions and personalities to recruiters.
He said: ““I certainly think it [recruitment] has changed post-pandemic and not necessarily for the better.
“AI in terms of CVs and sifting of applications. It doesn’t feel to me that recruitment in the post-pandemic era is becoming fairer.
“I’ve seen that in relation to my my kids and their situation. It just does feel harder these days to make that breakthrough, to get that first connection.”
But Cameron said: “Andy Burnham is right about the challenges facing young people trying to enter the workforce, but I think he’s confusing two separate issues. There are record levels of youth unemployment in the UK at present, but that isn’t driven by recruitment processes, it’s due to a shortage of entry-level opportunities in a low-growth economy and a labour market lacking the relevant skills employers seek.”
And he suggested online processes were in many cases removes barriers for young people.
He added: “There’s a tendency to look back at face-to-face interviews as though they were somehow the gold standard of fairness, but that overlooks the reality for many candidates. Not everyone can afford to travel to interviews, take time off work or for caring responsibilities, or thrive in a traditional face-to-face interview environment. A structured digital process that informs human decision making can remove many of those barriers while ensuring every candidate is asked the same questions and assessed against the same criteria. That often creates a more level playing field, not a less fair one.”
He said: “Take two identical candidates. Interview one at 9am, when the hiring manager is fresh, focused and enthusiastic, and another at 5pm after a full day of meetings. Even with the best intentions, those aren’t the same interview. We shouldn’t confuse tradition with fairness – recruitment has always had biases – we’re just much more aware of them now.”
He said employers are looking for solutions to their ‘biggest challenge’ which is the sheer volume of applications they are receiving.
He added: “The best employers use technology to help human recruiters make better, more informed, and consistent decisions, while creating opportunities for more candidates to demonstrate who they are beyond what’s written on a CV – most of which have been inflated or augmented using AI anyway.
“The real debate shouldn’t be whether we return to recruitment practices from 20 years ago, but rather how we use technology responsibly to widen access to employment, reduce bias and ensure candidates can stand out. Thanks to technology, no candidate should be overlooked simply because there are too many CVs to read.”
