The 2026 job market between “Job Hugging” and the rise of Agentic AI

The pressure on recruiters and the skills gap

The difficulty does not only concern those looking for work. Over half of recruiters (52%) admit that identifying qualified talent has become more challenging in the past year. The pressure to fill roles quickly (37%) and the need to manage increasingly larger catchment areas have pushed 63% of recruiters declare themselves unprepared for the growing expectations of organizations.

AI as a tool for “hidden talents”

If 2025 was the year of experimentation, 2026 marks the structural integration of AI into hiring processes. 90% of recruiters plan to increase the use of intelligent technologies not only to optimize time, but to improve the quality of selection. In fact, 54% of industry professionals say that AI allows you to identify “hidden” skills in candidatestraits that traditional screening methods would not have been able to detect.

Moreno Ferrario, Head of Enterprise at LinkedIn Italy, observes: “The relevant element that emerges is that adoption is transversal, there is no predominant sector. Companies of different sizes and sectors are approaching these tools, demonstrating that internal culture, vision and leadership are the cornerstones”.

Concrete results: Hiring Assistant and Hiring Pro

The impact of “agentic” technologies is already measurable through global data. Tools like Hiring Assistant have saved early adopters over 4 hours per open position by reviewing 62% fewer mismatched profiles. In parallel, LinkedIn Hiring Prodedicated to small businesses, allows 60% of recruiters to identify a suitable candidate for the interview within the first week of the search.

Upcoming developments will include:

AI-powered pre-selection interviews: to manage the initial screening and free up time for human relations.

Conversational interfaces: to refine your search criteria in real time.

Personalized InMails: Written with AI support to maximize response rates.

This transition does not aim to replace the human factor, but to enhance it. The objective declared by 63% of recruiters is in fact to use algorithmic efficiency to recover time to dedicate to deeper and more meaningful professional interactions.