AI, Skills Gaps & Retention: How to Hire Top Talent in 2025

Hiring is at a turning point. Korn Ferry, Gartner, McKinsey, ResumeBuilder, and Deloitte all point to the same conclusion – recruitment as we know it is being redefined. AI is reshaping talent acquisition, skills gaps are widening, and employees are demanding more than just a paycheck – they want growth, mobility, and purpose.

The staggering data offers insights into how your hiring strategy needs to shift this year:

📉 40% of TA leaders worry AI is making hiring too impersonal

🤖 67% say AI-driven hiring will dominate in 2025

📈 50% of employees staying in their roles say career growth is the only reason

In today’s post, we take a brief look at the biggest shifts in talent acquisition – a topic covered in our latest Daily Jam edition, "AI, Skills Gaps & Retention: How to Hire Top Talent in 2025," where we explore how to balance AI with human oversight (including some shocking AI horror stories), implement skills-based hiring, and build talent strategies that actually last.

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The Hiring Landscape is Shifting – Are You Ready?

We’re in the middle of a fundamental shift in talent acquisition. If you’re still relying on outdated hiring models, you’re already behind. These three trends are reshaping the future of hiring:

📍 AI & automation in hiring: AI is making hiring more efficient – but is it making it worse? 83% of companies now use AI to screen resumes, and many are rejecting candidates without human oversight.

📍 Skills-based hiring: Job titles and degrees are taking a backseat. 81% of companies now use skills-first hiring, up from 56% just two years ago. The message is clear: Experience matters more than resumes.

📍 Internal mobility & career growth: Employees want growth, and they’re willing to leave if they don’t get it. 67% of workers would stay in their role if they were given career advancement opportunities.

NTT DATA’s Hiring Revolution

Faced with hiring inefficiencies and a lack of internal talent visibility, NTT DATA redefined recruitment and shifted to a skills-first, AI-powered approach.

• AI-driven Skills Visibility: Real-time insights into internal talent

• Smarter Hiring: AI-matched candidates for better job fit

• Internal Mobility First: Prioritized employees for open roles

The results spoke for themselves:

✅ 128% increase in employee self-nominations

✅ 100% boost in referrals

✅ 10% rise in internal placements, cutting hiring costs

Bottom line: Prioritizing skills and internal mobility leads to faster, smarter, and more resilient hiring.

Beyond 2025: The Future of Hiring

All signs point to hiring undergoing a major transition that will last well beyond this year. Companies that will thrive are those that rethink hiring instead of simply reacting to shifting trends. 

Want to future-proof your strategy? This week’s Daily Jam breaks down the tools you need, including:

✔️ How AI can enhance hiring – without eliminating top candidates

✔️ A skills-first hiring model that expands your talent pool and increases retention

✔️ The internal mobility blueprint that helped NTT DATA revolutionize hiring

✔️ Actionable steps to integrate career development into your TA strategy

🎁 Plus, a helpful HR download – the Cutting-Edge Talent Acquisition Checklist. 

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