Recruiters shift hiring with focus on skill than degrees: LinkedIn

The LinkedIn survey noted that this shift of skills-first was being led by global capability centers (GCCs) (85 per cent) and IT firms (71 per cent)

Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the way Indian recruiters are now scouting for talent, with the focus shifting to ‘skills’ rather than ‘degrees’.

 

According to a recent survey by professional networking platform LinkedIn, 78 per cent of recruiters are now prioritising skills over formal qualifications.

 

It noted that this shift of skills-first was being led by global capability centres (GCCs) (85 per cent) and IT firms (71 per cent).

 

“In this report ‘skills first’ agenda is moving from theory to execution. This survey shows that 78 per cent of recruiters actually use a skill-first approach,” said Ruchee Anand, head of LinkedIn Talent Solutions, India.

 

Anand said the other reason for this shift is because the templatised hiring process has changed.

 

“Earlier, when hiring was done, the job description required an MBA, an engineering degree or a post-graduation degree. Now, if an individual has certain skills and they are able to prove it, they get hired. This is also happening because we need access to large talent pools,” Anand explained. 

 

She said that when recruiters focus on skills first the talent pool goes up by 9x in India. In case of women candidates, this goes up by 12x.

 

Anand added that the third reason for this acceptability is due to the career pivots that individuals are doing these days.

 

“We are increasingly seeing on the LinkedIn platform that professionals are pivoting. They may have a certain qualification, and would have started in one area, but now moved to another. Organisations too are more open as they are looking for skills…this fits,” she added.

 

The LinkedIn India RoI research also added that there are long-term advantages of skills-based hiring such as improved workforce adaptability (58 per cent), responsiveness to market shifts due to faster skill acquisition (58 per cent) and internal upskilling opportunities (55 per cent).

 

The survey, which looked at return on investments on hiring, found that three of four (75 per cent) Indian recruiters are investing up to 70 per cent of their hiring budgets in recruitment tech and AI tools.

 

Nearly three in four HR professionals in India say their organisations complete hiring within two to four weeks. But quality of hire has become the most important measure of success, cited by 72 per cent of recruiters, followed by the time to hire (60 per cent) and revenue per employee (59 per cent).

 

Recruiters say delays in the process result in losing top candidates to faster competitors (58 per cent), higher workload pressure on teams (64 per cent), and reduced productivity and morale (63 per cent). The most common causes of delay are structural -- lengthy approval processes (58 per cent) and indecision among hiring managers (56 per cent).

 

“With the pressure to hire quickly, many recruiters cast the net wide but not deep, choosing volume over precision. But hiring today demands more. Recruiters need tools that help them find skilled talent who can drive real business outcomes,” Anand elaborated.

 

“The opportunity lies in using AI and data to shift from quick-fill roles to high-impact hires. Our latest research shows that over half (53 per cent) of recruiters in India already see stronger returns from platforms like LinkedIn, as they shift focus to skills like problem-solving, creativity, and leadership. This marks a clear step forward in how India hires - with precision, purpose, and long-term value in mind,” she added.