1A growing number of firms are using artificial intelligence to screen job applicants.
2The practice has ignited a fierce debate about fairness in recruitment.
3Software can now sift through thousands of applications in a matter of seconds.
4Advocates argue that automation removes human inconsistency from the process.
5They claim algorithms assess every candidate against identical criteria.
6Critics counter that the technology can quietly entrench existing biases.
7One recent study found some systems penalised candidates with uncommon names.
8Others reportedly downgraded applicants who had taken career breaks.
9Employment lawyers warn that firms remain liable for discriminatory outcomes.
10Delegating a decision to software does not delegate the responsibility, one said.
11Several large employers have suspended automated screening pending a review.
12Meanwhile, regulators are drafting the first rules governing such tools.
13The proposed framework would require regular independent audits of the systems.
14Companies would also have to tell candidates when algorithms are involved.
15Recruitment industry groups have resisted what they call excessive red tape.
16They insist the technology helps smaller firms cope with surging application numbers.
17A single advertised vacancy can now attract well over a thousand applicants.
18Job seekers, for their part, appear increasingly resigned to the new reality.
19Many now tailor their CVs specifically to please the screening software.
20Whether that makes hiring fairer or merely more formulaic remains an open question.