Pakistan doesn’t have a talent shortage. It has a broken hiring system
After nearly 13 years working across HR, operations, hiring and business leadership, I have sat on both sides of the same frustrating conversation. Employers tell me, “We cannot find good people”. Jobseekers tell me, “There are no good opportunities”. For years, I treated these as two separate problems. I no longer do. Speaking directly with employers, recruiters, and jobseekers has made one…
Pakistan faces issues beyond a talent shortage; its broken hiring system is the primary problem. Employers complain about not finding suitable candidates, while job seekers claim there are no good opportunities. However, the root cause lies in the hiring infrastructure. Even when a company posts a single vacancy and receives 500 applications, it often leads to a filtering problem.
Reviewing each CV takes significant time, and with shortlisting, calls, scheduling, no-shows, interview notes, and follow-ups, the true cost of one vacancy is higher than it appears. The belief that there is no talent in the market is misguided; the right person may simply be overlooked due to the large volume of applications. While technology has made applying easier, it has also increased the noise, leaving candidates feeling invisible.
The traditional recruitment model focuses on distribution, but a new model should prioritize decision-making by quickly identifying the few candidates worthy of consideration. CVs are valuable but should not be the sole deciding factor; they should provide early signals about relevant experience, structured responses, communication, availability, salary expectations, and role-specific understanding.
Automation can help streamline repetitive screening, allowing recruiters to focus on human judgment. Candidates should receive more transparency throughout the process, knowing whether their CV was viewed, if the vacancy closed, or if they were selected or rejected. Universities should receive hiring data from employers to improve their career services, guide students in acquiring relevant skills, and help employers build stronger talent pipelines.
The solution lies in improving talent discovery, structured screening, smarter AI utilization, increased employer-candidate transparency, and better recruitment data. The aim should be to help employers identify the right 10 candidates, not simply generate 1,000 applicants. AI should augment, not replace, human decision-making in the hiring process.
Written by urgent.news from Business Recorder's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
