SMEs Recruitment Processes Supported by Artificial Intelligence: A Position Paper

Human resources play a crucial role in the success of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and in today’s competitive recruitment landscape, leveraging technology can be instrumental in enhancing these processes. Organizations and HR departments increasingly adopt artificial intelligence solutions to streamline recruitment and selection procedures. By doing so, SMEs can improve operational efficiency while enabling human resource (HR) specialists to focus on crucial tasks, enhancing candidate experience throughout the recruitment process. However, adopting artificial intelligence (AI) in recruitment remains limited among SMEs. We can attribute this to various factors, including a need for more capacity among SME managers to evaluate and leverage AI’s potential and concerns related to costs and risks associated with its implementation. Given that SMEs constitute 90% of businesses and contribute over 50% of global employment, it is crucial to address this issue and research ways to enhance recruitment processes specifically tailored for SMEs. Our research aims to explore the benefits, challenges, and necessary organizational resources for SMEs to adopt AI effectively in recruitment processes.