The adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in recruitment is becoming the new normal. As this practice spreads, fears about its chilling effect on candidates from underrepresented backgrounds have increased. Recent studies reveal that 43 percent of organizations use AI moderately in hiring, while 19 percent employ these technologies extensively. Experts warn that this shift could unintentionally introduce new barriers, especially for migrant and refugee applicants.
Dr. Natalie Sheard from the Melbourne Law School conducted a study highlighting the potential inequalities exacerbated by AI hiring systems. Her research found that women and non-Anglo candidates are much less likely to apply for jobs. This trend happens when they are aware that AI tools are being used in hiring. That brings up some deep concerns about the effects of these systems on job seekers from marginalized backgrounds.
For more than a decade, Sisterworks has been addressing these challenges. This nonprofit works to ensure that migrant and refugee women have a smooth transition into the workforce. According to CEO Ifrin Fittock, 75% of graduates fail video interviews when they come out of school. These AI technology-powered interviews frequently leave them feeling ill-equipped. It’s talk like that which made her just as shocked, she said, when last year — about nine months ago — she sent around nine of her sisters to an interview, and she didn’t have one sister go through. Upon investigation, we found out that they were actually being interviewed by videos slash AI interviews and because they’ve never been exposed to it before, I think they just failed because they don’t know what to do.
The problem is made worse for those with limited English proficiency. Fittock unpacked what being digitally literate means and how it affects their success in AI-fueled interviews.
“The challenges with these AI recruitment or AI interview for some of our sisters is really, first of all, English is not their first language, but also the level of digital literacy that they may or may not have,” – Ifrin Fittock
The added stress of having to traverse an AI interview—where applicants are forced to juggle strict time limits while answering questions—can be intimidating. With this, Fittock emphasized, comes a whole new level of challenge for people who are already experiencing the short end of the stick.
The systems deployed in AI recruitment, for example, are often constructed abroad. They are trained on datasets that can neither capture nor address the reality of diversity within the Australian population. Fittock remarked on this concern:
“A lot of these systems are built overseas, so they might’ve been trained on data on populations that aren’t comparable to the Australian population.” – Ifrin Fittock
This lack of contextual relevance means that AI tools may not perform equally well for various demographic groups, including refugees and migrant women.
Dr. Sheard’s study found something truly scary—these AI systems can unintentionally screen out qualified candidates. This is often because of gaps in their work history, which unfortunately carry a significant bias towards women, as women tend to take breaks for family obligations.
“It is important to make sure that these technologies are ethically applied in the recruitment process,” said Catherine Hunter, CEO of Diversity Council Australia.
“With such high adoption rates and the rapid acceleration of the technology, we’re just concerned that people aren’t putting in place the proper considerations around ethical use.” – Catherine Hunter
The results provide new insights into how AI recruitment systems may speed up the hiring process while simultaneously continuing to replicate current discriminatory practices. As explained by professor Andreas Leibbrandt, that’s because candidates know that AI algorithms are biased. They tend to see these biases as mediocre compared to those shown by live human recruiters.
In order to meet these changes and challenges, Sisterworks has expanded their training repertoire to provide video interview preparation as well. This new program is designed to give these candidates the skills necessary to pass through AI driven interviews with flying colors.
Fatemeh Hazrati, a graduate of Sisterworks’ program, admitted that the ability to pivot and evolve with the progression of new technologies is paramount.
“AI has real big effect on our life nowadays. All of us have to learn it, [and] just need to adapt ourselves for new things and accept challenges to learn new things.” – Fatemeh Hazrati
Organizations are relying on AI now more than ever to shape their hiring process. In return, many are calling on the Australian federal government to set tougher rules on its use. Advocates claim that if not set up correctly, these technologies could make it harder for marginalized communities to find work.
