By: Ed Pederson, Head of Innovation, Kelly

American businesses face a complex hiring challenge as the worker shortage shows no signs of easing. The labor force participation rate stands at 62.6%, below its pre-pandemic level of 63.3% and far from its 2001 peak of 67.2%. This decline represents millions of potential workers who remain on the sidelines of the job market.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects we’ll add 6.7 million new jobs to the economy by 2033 while growth among the working-age population slows. Baby Boomer retirements continue to accelerate, with more than 11,000 Americans turning 65 each day. Industries like healthcare and professional services consistently show the highest number of job openings, while manufacturers struggle with hundreds of thousands of unfilled positions.

This worker shortage creates particular challenges for companies hiring at scale. When businesses need to staff new facilities or expand operations quickly, they face both immediate hiring pressures and long-term workforce sustainability concerns. With the unemployment rate hovering around 4%—or what’s considered “full employment”—and 2 million jobs added last year alone, employers must find new ways to attract and retain talent.

Recruitment process automation (RPA) helps solve these problems by handling repetitive work, reaching more candidates, and finding qualified people who might get overlooked. Here's how automation changes high-volume hiring and creates opportunities for employers and job seekers.

What is recruitment process automation?

RPA provides a structured, rules-based approach to handling the repetitive tasks involved in hiring, which multiply when a company needs to hire at a high volume. It acts as a digital assistant, streamlining workflows and reducing administrative burdens for recruiters. RPA is particularly effective in automating tasks that follow clear, fixed rules, including:

• Posting job listings to multiple websites simultaneously
• Moving candidate information from application forms into HR databases
• Sending automated email responses to applicants
• Scheduling interviews by integrating with candidate-selected time slots

Managing temporary and contract workers

Beyond these foundational tasks, RPA is also improving the way companies manage temporary and contract workers. At Kelly, we’ve embraced RPA to enhance workforce flexibility. Kelly Fusion, a suite of automation tools developed by Kelly in partnership with UiPath, automates tasks like background screenings, onboarding procedures, contractor extensions, and manager changes. By offloading these administrative burdens, businesses can maintain an agile workforce without increasing HR workload.

Accelerating the hiring process

Traditional hiring timelines can stretch for weeks, often taking 30-45 days from job posting to hire.  AI and RPA help shrink this window significantly by eliminating manual, time-consuming tasks. 

For instance:

• When a recruiter conducts an initial intake call with a hiring manager, AI-powered tools can generate properly formatted job descriptions in minutes, ready for posting.
• When hiring managers need a quick view of candidates, automated resume summaries highlight relevant qualifications, saving time on manual reviews.

With Kelly Fusion, companies can further optimize these processes by integrating automated compliance checks, reducing paperwork delays, and ensuring smoother transitions for new hires.

Expanding candidate reach

Many industries—such as oil and gas, manufacturing, and hospitality—struggle to reach qualified workers who may not use traditional job platforms. RPA-powered AI voice technology can automatically contact candidates via phone, conduct initial screenings, and compile results, ensuring that businesses connect with potential hires who might otherwise be overlooked.

Breaking down barriers

RPA can help companies identify promising candidates who might be screened out by rigid requirements. For example, when staffing a new facility, automation can flag applicants who lack just one qualification (like a high school diploma) and connect them with relevant resources like GED programs.

Adding intelligence

While RPA handles routine tasks effectively, artificial intelligence brings new capabilities to hiring. AI can learn from patterns and make predictions, helping companies:

• Find promising candidates by analyzing successful past hires
• Spot relevant skills that might not be obvious from a resume
• Predict which candidates are likely to accept offers
• Identify career paths that suggest success in specific roles

Screening candidates 

AI uses Natural Language Processing (NLP) to understand the context and meaning in applications and job descriptions. This allows AI systems to:

• Read resumes more like a human would, recognizing related skills and experience
• Run screening interviews through AI chatbots that adjust questions based on responses
• Review video interviews for communication skills

Planning for future jobs

AI also helps companies prepare for changing job requirements by:

• Suggesting relevant training and certification programs
• Analyzing how roles will change with new technology
• Identifying which skills will become more important

Kelly's Future Skills Navigator, accessible via our Kelly Consulting practice, demonstrates this by analyzing job descriptions and industry changes to show which roles might change, where automation fits, and what new skills workers will need.

Working together: RPA and AI in practice

The most effective hiring combines both technologies. Consider a company hiring 100 warehouse workers:

RPA handles the basics—posting jobs, collecting applications, and scheduling interviews. Meanwhile, AI analyzes resumes, ranks candidates, and predicts who's most likely to accept offers. AI chatbots conduct initial screenings so recruiters can focus on promising candidates.

The future of high volume hiring

Many companies are just beginning to use recruitment automation, typically starting with RPA for basic tasks before adding AI-powered tools. Companies that combine these technologies with human expertise will find it easier to hire good candidates in a tight job market. 

While RPA and AI handle the repetitive tasks that consume valuable time, recruiters are freed to do what technology cannot—build meaningful connections with candidates and hiring managers. In today's challenging labor market, where recruiters often manage hundreds of open positions at the same time, automation is the key to giving each candidate the personal attention they deserve while meeting the demanding pace of high-volume hiring.