If you’re looking for every option available to cut expenses with minimal effect on your workforce, you’re not alone. There are indications that the current economy may speed AI adoption as organizations look to cut costs and hedge against uncertainty.
At the same time, AI is in no way ready to take over your recruiting and retention efforts or replace your talent and recruiting specialists. AI tools currently available are best used to augment human workforce specialists, not replace them.
With that in mind, here are some examples of how AI can help you recruit, hire, and retain workers while reducing the load on your internal team.
Using AI for smarter, faster hiring
According to Employbridge research from 2024, 87% of hiring managers said they are using AI; 57% of that group said AI “is becoming an important part of our business.” A well-designed AI-powered tool can streamline the recruitment process by:
- Automating resume screening. A single job posting can draw hundreds of applicants – or more. Machine learning algorithms can quickly sift through resumes to identify top contenders by reviewing skills, experience, and education against your requirements.
- Enhancing candidate matching. Predictive analytics can match applicants to roles based on historical hiring data, reducing time-to-fill and improving placement accuracy.
- Pre-screening using chatbots. AI-driven chatbots can help schedule interviews with applicants, assess their availability, and answer questions 24/7. Some companies also use chatbots for initial interviews.
At Employbridge, segments of our business use AI to initially screen job applications and identify those who best meet our clients’ requirements. Applications from top candidates are then reviewed by a talent specialist to determine who to interview.
While AI can be helpful for hiring, it also can lead to unintentional discrimination. It’s extremely important for your talent team to review the use and output of your AI tools to ensure your hiring practices remain ethical and inclusive.
Letting AI manage some of your onboarding tasks
You can use AI tools to make onboarding more streamlined, faster, and even personalized for new workers. Plus, you can demonstrate transparency by telling candidates that they are receiving automated messages and communicating with AI.
Some of the benefits of integrating AI into onboarding include:
- Starting the process more quickly. AI tools can be programmed to trigger reminders about timelines for completing Form I-9 paperwork, work experience verification, and more.
- Scheduling drug screenings. Similarly, you can program text messages with available times, dates, and locations for screenings and track when the task is completed.
- Communicating essential information. Use AI to track the status of all onboarding requirements and notify candidates of what is complete and incomplete. Give them advanced notice on equipment or clothing that will be needed or sent.
- Welcoming new hires and sending information about their first day. Pre-programmed messages can remind them about start date and time, dress code, parking, and other instructions.
Here’s one more example from our contact center division: They use an AI chatbot to help remote contact center agents set up their equipment and troubleshoot any difficulties.
Optimizing scheduling and retention with AI tools
Using AI in workforce management can allow your team to shift their attention to strategic tasks. However, they’ll still need to check its work. By making adjustments and fixing errors, your team can train AI and improve workforce management to:
- Determine labor needs. AI can forecast labor needs based on historical trends, seasonality, and real-time demand, ensuring optimal staffing levels.
- Predict attrition. By analyzing behavioral and performance data, AI can identify workers at risk of leaving so you can work to solve problems and engage and retain them.
- Analyze data at the employee level to assign shifts. AI systems can assign shifts according to worker preferences, skills, and availability, which can lead to higher satisfaction and lower absenteeism.
In some sectors of our business, we’re using AI to regularly check in with our talent by text message. Their answers help us measure engagement and job satisfaction at key milestones.
Reducing Operational Costs and Enhancing Productivity with AI Automations
In general, AI can contribute to cost savings and productivity gains through:
- Automating processes. Robotic Process Automation (RPA) can handle repetitive administrative tasks like timesheet processing, compliance checks, and onboarding paperwork, as mentioned above.
- Managing administrative tasks. Machine learning can flag errors on timesheets or review employment authorization or background checks for completion.
Our teams use AI to identify candidates in our databases who are the best fit for our clients’ roles, which helps us to fill requests more quickly. We also use AI with Bluecrew by Employbridge digital platform. When a client posts a job, information about the request is sent out almost instantly to our best-fit talent.
Improving communication overall with AI chat agents
AI chat agents can be a 24/7 point-of-contact to respond to or receive requests from workers. Examples include:
- Answering FAQs during onboarding. An AI tool can be programmed to answer questions your HR team regularly receives about W-2 forms, work authorization paperwork, and more.
- Keep job candidates interested and informed. No one likes to be ghosted during the application process. AI can help you keep applicants engaged by providing updates on your hiring process that are personalized and timely.
- Point of contact for callouts. AI-driven tools can give talent a way to report absences instead of leaving messages on voicemail or sending emails. The tool can be programmed to gather all the information needed, follow up with additional questions, and document trends over time.
Employbridge uses chat agents to improve responsiveness and make tasks easier for our team and talent, but not a replacement for relationship-building interactions.
Preparing for the AI-Driven Future
Whether you’re deep into using AI or investigating the possibilities, there are two things you should be doing to stay up-to-date on changes and opportunities:
- Invest in AI literacy. Equip teams with the knowledge to understand and leverage tools effectively. AI is only as good as the information you put into it, what you program it to do, and how well you continue to train it.
- Partner with tech providers. Collaborate with AI vendors who understand the light industrial sector and can provide tools specifically built for its unique needs.
More insights and advice from Employbridge
With more than 30 years of experience, Employbridge can be a crucial workforce partner and provider, offering expert support, higher-quality matches, and innovative technology for smarter and faster staffing. By championing people, unlocking potential, and bridging skills gaps, we empower teams to build a future-ready and high-performing workforce.
Contact us to learn more about how Employbridge can support you.