Evidenced Joins Parliament Launch of Association of RecTech Providers

Earlier this week, Evidenced had the privilege of attending the official launch of the Association of Recruitment Technology Partners (ARTP) at the Houses of Parliament. Hosted by the Better Hiring Institute (BHI), the event brought together parliamentarians, industry leaders, civil servants, and technology providers to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing recruitment in the UK.

For us at Evidenced, it was a chance to hear directly from policymakers and innovators about the pressing issues in hiring today - and how technology can play a role in creating a fairer, faster, and safer system. Below are some of the key themes and insights we took away.

The scale of the challenge

Speakers throughout the event underscored the inefficiencies and costs associated with current recruitment practices in the UK. Some of the statistics presented were striking:

• 150 million job applications are submitted in the UK every year, yet 114 million are withdrawn before completion.

• 1.2 million people leave new roles within 12 weeks or less, representing both wasted investment and missed opportunity.

• The estimated cost of these inefficiencies is £132 million annually.

Technology’s role in transforming hiring

Much of the discussion centred on how recruitment technology can improve these outcomes.

AI was a recurring theme. Rather than being treated as a replacement for recruiters or as a way of reducing jobs to low-level tasks, AI should be seen as an ally - one that can enhance efficiency, reduce bias, and improve decision-making. However, this must be approached carefully: MIT research shows that 95% of AI projects fail to deliver a measurable financial return, underscoring the importance of thoughtful implementation.

New tools are also being developed to address specific challenges such as fraud in hiring. Platforms supporting compliance, onboarding, and identity verification are helping employers reduce risk and improve candidate experience. Without these safeguards, there is a risk of creating what one speaker described as a “doom loop” of AI driven applications.

Building standards and trust

The event stressed the need for collaboration and standards across the recruitment sector.

Every year in the UK, around 3 million people change jobs, and if these transitions were managed more effectively, the benefits could be transformative for employers, candidates, and the wider economy. Organisations such as the Better Hiring Institute are working to incentivise fairer solutions and establish clear standards for recruitment practices and technology providers.

As one speaker put it, the selection process should not be a rejection process, because hiring is ultimately about people, and improving the candidate experience has a positive knock on effect on all hiring outcomes.

Looking ahead

For Evidenced, it was encouraging to be part of a conversation where the challenges of hiring were discussed openly, and where practical solutions were shared. Recruitment has never been perfect - but it can be improved.

The launch of the ARTP is an important step towards that improvement. By bringing together providers, policymakers, and employers, the association has the potential to help the UK become a global leader in faster, fairer and safer hiring.

We are proud to be among the founding members of the ARTP, and we look forward to collaborating with others in the ecosystem to tackle inefficiency, reduce fraud, and improve outcomes for both employers and candidates.

Our thanks go to the organisers at the Better Hiring Institute for a fantastic event, and to all contributors for a thought-provoking discussion.

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