Ling-yi Tsai has spent decades at the forefront of human resources transformation, helping global organizations navigate the complex shift from traditional talent acquisition to sophisticated digital ecosystems. As an expert in HR analytics and talent management integration, she has a unique vantage point on how technology can either complicate or clarify the recruitment process. Today, she discusses the landmark launch of the UK’s first RecTech Standard, a framework designed to bring accountability to a sector that handles hundreds of millions of applications every year. This conversation explores the staggering £75 billion annual cost of “broken” hiring and how standardized technology can cut recruitment time in half. We examine the ethical boundaries of AI, the necessity of evidence-based vendor selection to bypass “polished demos,” and the vital role of data security in protecting sensitive candidate information from modern cyber threats.
The economic impact of inefficient hiring systems is estimated at billions of dollars annually. How will the newly launched RecTech Standard specifically mitigate these losses and revitalize the recruitment landscape?
The financial stakes are incredibly high, with the National Hiring Strategy recently identifying that “broken hiring” costs the economy a staggering £75 billion every single year. For far too long, the UK’s hiring processes have remained largely untouched for centuries, relying on outdated methods that drain productivity and stifle growth. By establishing the RecTech Standard, we are finally providing a blueprint that allows organizations to implement technology that works, which is expected to result in better outcomes in half the time it takes today. When you cut that hiring cycle by 50%, you aren’t just saving administrative costs; you are boosting productivity across the board and generating extra taxes for the Treasury through faster job placement. It’s about moving away from a fragmented system and toward a streamlined, efficient engine that creates jobs and improves social outcomes for everyone involved.
With the Association of RecTech Providers representing over 200 million job applications per year, the scale of data is massive. How does this new standard address the growing anxiety surrounding candidate data security and the threat of cyber-attacks?
When you are dealing with a volume as massive as 200 million applications annually, the surface area for potential risk is enormous, and candidate anxiety is at an all-time high. The new standard provides essential, rigorous guidance on how to keep highly sensitive candidate data safe and secure, specifically tailored to the sophisticated nature of modern cyber-attacks. We want to move toward a system where transparency and safeguarding are the default settings, not an afterthought, so that every person seeking work feels their personal history is protected. By creating an independent benchmark, the Better RecTech Provider Scheme allows employers to choose tools that meet clear standards of accountability. This builds a foundation of trust at every stage of the hiring journey, ensuring that the technology serving the candidates is as secure as it is efficient.
There is a significant focus on ensuring AI supports humans rather than replacing them. In your view, how does this framework maintain that balance while still encouraging innovation?
The core philosophy here is that technology should always be at the service of candidates and employers, never the other way around. While AI is undeniably making it faster and easier to build tools that look impressive, the RecTech Standard insists that human judgment must remain central to the decisions that shape people’s working lives. We are encouraging “good innovation” by asking providers to show the actual evidence behind how their technology works, rather than just relying on a polished demo or a vague promise of fairness. By scaling expectations to the level of risk, we ensure that innovation isn’t slowed down, but rather made more recognizable and trustworthy. This ensures that even as we use AI to enhance the process, people remain accountable for the final hiring decisions, keeping ethics, fairness, and transparency at the heart of the industry.
The chair of the Better Hiring Institute mentioned the concept of “mentally healthy hiring.” How does standardized recruitment technology contribute to the well-being of both the recruiter and the applicant?
Hiring is often one of the most stressful experiences a person can go through, but it doesn’t have to be a gauntlet of uncertainty and “ghosting.” Mentally healthy hiring occurs when the process is fair, transparent, and significantly faster, reducing the period of anxiety for the candidate and the burnout for the recruiter. When technology determines who gets seen and shortlisted, it must do so through a framework that is inclusive and safe, which naturally improves social outcomes. By using tools that are independently verified to be “fair,” we remove the hidden biases that often plague traditional hiring, creating a more dignified experience for the applicant. Ultimately, when the system works correctly and predictably, it fosters a sense of trust and respect that benefits the mental health of everyone navigating the job market.
What is your forecast for the future of recruitment technology standards?
I believe we are moving toward a global environment where “ethical-by-design” technology will be the only acceptable option for serious organizations. Over the next few years, from 2026 to 2028, we will see these UK-led standards become the baseline for international recruitment, forcing providers to move away from “black box” algorithms toward total transparency. As more sectors adopt these benchmarks, the £75 billion loss we see today will shrink as productivity rises, and the “polished demo” will be replaced by rigorous, evidence-based performance data. We are entering an era where the quality of a hiring tool will be judged by its social and psychological impact just as much as its speed, ensuring a future where technology truly empowers the human workforce.