Despite the rise of AI and alternative recruitment channels, job boards continue to play a crucial role for many organizations. Recent research shows that nearly 70 percent of employers still fill the majority of their vacancies via job sites. At the same time, the landscape is changing rapidly. What do the latest figures say about job boards in 2025?
How do you translate these job board trends into a profitable revenue model? In the webinar “How do I make money with my job board in 2026?” Intelligence Group shows how job boards respond to AI, data and new revenue streams.
This is based on the latest State of Online Recruiting Report by iHire, based on a survey among 1,421 job seekers and 529 employers in the United States. These are the 12 key insights for everyone working with job boards.
In 2025, 25.9 percent of employers say they use AI for recruitment and selection. By comparison, this was 14.7 percent in 2024 and only 4.9 percent in 2023. Over two years, this represents growth of no less than 429 percent.
The most common AI applications are writing job descriptions at 73.0 percent, creating candidate communication such as emails and text messages at 68.6 percent, sending messages at 49.6 percent and screening resumes at 32.1 percent.
Not every employer is fully positive. For example, 24.4 percent are concerned about an increase in fake or fraudulent candidates as a result of AI use.
AI is now also well established among job seekers. 29.3 percent of candidates say they have used AI to write or adjust a resume or cover letter. In 2024, this percentage was still 17.3 percent.
Job sites are certainly not disappearing. 68.6 percent of employers say they fill all or most vacancies via job boards. In addition, 31.9 percent expect their dependence on job sites to increase further in the coming year.
Employers expect more from job boards than just job postings. There is demand for additional functionalities such as communication tools including email at 47.1 percent and text messaging at 34.6 percent, prescreening questions at 44.6 percent, skills tests at 28.4 percent, interview scheduling at 26.3 percent and talent pipelines at 25.5 percent. AI support for communication, job optimization and resume screening is also increasingly desired.
The shortage of skills remains a dominant factor. 54.8 percent of employers mention this as the most important trend for the coming year. In addition, 31.8 percent mention economic uncertainty and fear of recession as influential factors.
Because of these uncertainties, employers are looking differently at workforce planning. For example, 42.3 percent stimulate internal mobility, compared to 16.9 percent a year earlier, an increase of 150 percent. In addition, 36.9 percent use talent pools, 27.8 percent choose reskilling and upskilling, and 30.8 percent rehired former employees.
For job seekers, ghosting is a major problem. 59.0 percent mention the lack of responses from employers as one of the biggest challenges. Fake and fraudulent job postings are also a bottleneck at 39.3 percent.
Recruitment based on skills is slowly gaining ground. 19.5 percent of employers expect to place more focus on skills and less emphasis on formal qualifications in 2025.
Age still plays a major role in applications. 28.1 percent of candidates experience age discrimination as a barrier, while 48.2 percent expect this to limit their career development in the coming year.
Finally, referral recruitment is gaining popularity. No less than 71.3 percent of organizations regularly use referrals from their own employees to fill vacancies.
Job boards will remain an important part of the recruitment mix in 2025, but standing still is not an option. AI, skills based hiring and additional functionalities increasingly determine the success of job sites.
Job boards remain important, but the rules of the game are changing rapidly. AI, skills based hiring, internal mobility and new revenue models increasingly determine success.
In this webinar, Intelligence Group shows how job boards can remain profitable in 2026 as well. You will gain concrete insights into revenue models, data driven optimization and how to respond to the most important market trends.
