Saudi Arabia’s job market, along with talent ecosystems across Europe and the United States, is undergoing a profound transformation as artificial intelligence (AI) and new recruitment models reshape the way employers and job seekers connect. Recent data and announcements from LinkedIn, Gyfted, and Tribe reveal a landscape marked by high mobility, intensifying competition, and a race to adapt to both the promises and pitfalls of AI-driven hiring.
According to LinkedIn’s survey published on January 13, 2026, a remarkable 73 percent of professionals in Saudi Arabia plan to look for a new job in 2026. This signals not just a restless workforce, but a job market bracing for another year of rapid movement. Despite this, 82 percent of respondents say they’re satisfied with their current roles—a paradox that underscores both optimism and anxiety as job seekers and recruiters alike navigate an environment that feels tougher and more fragmented than ever before.
What’s fueling this sense of complexity? The answer, in large part, is technology. AI is now a central player in the hiring process. Both sides of the market are feeling the pressure, but in different ways. For job seekers, AI is a double-edged sword. Many are using AI tools to tailor their resumes, identify suitable roles, and prep for interviews, making these technologies a standard part of their job search toolkit. Yet, 51 percent say AI makes it harder to get noticed, and 49 percent admit they have no idea how to stand out when algorithms are doing the screening. As one LinkedIn executive put it, "Job seekers are engaging with AI while navigating processes that feel more complex and competitive, while recruiters are using AI to manage scale and better understand skills. The priority now is to help both sides optimize their use of the technology."
The hiring process itself, job seekers report, has become a labyrinth. Seventy-six percent say there are too many stages with little communication, and over the past year, a third experienced slow responses from recruiters or received no feedback at all after unsuccessful applications. It’s easy to see why so many feel the journey is unpredictable, even as they proactively broaden their industry searches, learn in-demand skills like AI, and update their professional profiles to boost competitiveness.
Recruiters, for their part, are also feeling the strain. Forty-four percent of Saudi talent acquisition professionals say finding qualified talent is harder than ever, even as 85 percent agree that AI is speeding up hiring. The technology is surfacing strong candidates that might have been overlooked in traditional searches, but it’s not without its drawbacks. Seventy-four percent of recruiters acknowledge that AI-led interviews can feel too impersonal if not thoughtfully designed, risking the loss of the human connection that builds trust. And a striking 83 percent wish they were better equipped to handle AI’s growing impact on their profession. As the survey highlights, both job seekers and recruiters face a “readiness gap”—AI adoption is high, but understanding how to optimize its use is still developing.
Globally, organizations are seeking solutions to the unique challenges posed by AI and the sheer volume of applications it enables. Enter Gyfted, a California-based leader in psychometric assessment technology, which on January 12, 2026, announced the launch of its comprehensive Talent Assessment Platform. The platform aims to help organizations cut through the “noise” of AI-generated applications and assess genuine candidate qualities that algorithms can’t fake. With over 800,000 test-takers since 2021, Gyfted’s suite includes predictive behavioral assessments measuring leadership potential, cultural fit, personality, values, cognitive abilities, emotional intelligence, and more.
Gyfted’s approach is rooted in scientific rigor, drawing on frameworks like the Big Five personality model, Schwartz’s values theory, Goleman’s emotional intelligence model, and Hofstede’s cultural dimensions. The platform’s project-slot pricing model allows unlimited candidate evaluations without per-test or per-candidate fees, removing budget constraints and enabling organizations to comprehensively assess candidates. "Today's talent professionals need tools that cut through the noise and reveal the authentic qualities that drive success in their organizations," a Gyfted spokesperson explained. The platform offers benchmarking tools for leaders, unified talent development, and a Culture Canvas to assess and shape organizational culture team by team.
Global brands are already on board. Adam, Global Group Director at LSEG, noted, "Gyfted's talent solutions are helping us improve our internal talent mobility and go beyond pure external recruitment efforts." Anastasiia, Talent Development Manager at EPAM, praised the platform’s user experience, saying, "This is the nicest UX design I've ever gone through on an assessment tool." The platform’s GDPR compliance and machine learning-driven insights make it a compelling choice for data-driven organizations facing the challenges of modern recruitment.
Meanwhile, in Europe, recruitment is being reinvented at the operational level. Tribe, a Prague-based embedded recruitment provider, is pioneering a model that places senior local recruiters directly inside client teams. Announced in a press release on January 12, 2026, Tribe’s approach promises 65 percent faster hiring and lower cost-per-hire for Europe’s fastest-growing companies. The model is already delivering results for clients like Wolt, Glovo, N26, TIER Mobility, Statista, and Grover. For example, Wolt achieved a cost per hire of €3,300 and a 65 percent faster hiring process, while TIER Mobility saw 70 percent faster hiring with an average of eight hires per month.
Unlike traditional agencies that operate at arm’s length and work on placement fees, Tribe’s recruiters become a true extension of a company’s internal talent team. They use the client’s systems, processes, and employer brand, allowing for deeper understanding of culture and role requirements. Tribe’s flat monthly subscription pricing eliminates long-term contracts and unpredictable costs, giving companies the flexibility to scale up or down as hiring needs change. This is particularly valuable in Europe’s fragmented talent markets, where regulatory differences, language expectations, and fluctuating growth trajectories make centralized recruitment challenging.
Tribe’s founder, Martin Bernard, built the company on the insight that “the most effective hiring outcomes occurred when recruiters were embedded within teams rather than operating externally.” The company’s network of over 100 recruitment professionals brings local expertise to more than 20 European markets, supporting both high-volume and specialized hiring needs. Clients retain full ownership of their employer brand and candidate experience, while Tribe provides embedded execution and operational support. As Sophie Giorgobiani, Head of Talent Acquisition at Grover, put it, "Tribe has been the best talent partner we could wish for and has played a crucial role in scaling our tech team. Their recruiters are highly skilled, dedicated and understand our needs very well."
The convergence of AI, psychometric assessment platforms, and embedded recruitment models is fundamentally changing the way organizations and job seekers approach talent acquisition. The Saudi, European, and global experiences reveal a common thread: while technology offers speed and scale, it also introduces new complexities and a pressing need for human-centered solutions. As 2026 unfolds, success in the talent market will likely depend on how well both sides of the hiring equation adapt, learn, and bridge the readiness gap—leveraging the best of AI without losing sight of the qualities that only people can bring to the table.
