Nexxt Survey: 80% of Job Seekers Plan to Apply More in 2026 — 45% Are Using AI in Their Job Search
The News
Nexxt, an HR technology company that helps employers reach candidates at scale, has published results from a national survey of more than 1,500 job seekers revealing a significant shift in candidate behaviour. Nearly 80% of respondents plan to apply to more jobs in 2026, while 45% report using AI tools in their job search — from resume tailoring to automated applications.
One in three job seekers say they have used or plan to use AI tools in their most recent or current job, suggesting AI literacy is becoming a baseline expectation rather than a differentiator. Only 45% of respondents expressed confidence they would find a job in 2026, indicating that despite high application volume, job seeker sentiment remains cautious.
The survey also found that a retirement plan with company match, followed by healthcare options, are the two most desired work perks — a signal that in an uncertain economy, job seekers are prioritising stability over novelty benefits.
Why It Matters
For TA leaders, this data confirms what many are already experiencing: application volumes are surging, but signal quality is declining. When 45% of candidates are using AI to polish their applications, the traditional resume becomes a less reliable signal. The paradox is that the same AI tools that make it harder to screen candidates fairly are the ones candidates expect employers to use in making hiring decisions.
The 45% AI usage figure also has a positive dimension: it means that nearly half of the candidate pool is already AI-literate, which is valuable information for roles where AI proficiency matters. The challenge is separating candidates who genuinely have AI skills from those who simply used AI to look good on paper — a circular problem that no single platform has solved yet.
Taking Action
All action is situated in your corporate context. These are starting points, not prescriptions — choose what fits.
Connect
Who to talk with in your enterprise
Your sourcing and screening lead — Ask them to review your current screening criteria and assess which signals are most vulnerable to AI-generated polish. If you rely heavily on resume keywords or cover letters, those signals are degrading fast. Discuss alternative signals that are harder to fake — like brief asynchronous assessments or work sample tests.
Your head of TA technology — The 45% AI usage figure means your screening tools need to differentiate between candidates who used AI to communicate well and candidates who used AI to fabricate. Ask them to evaluate whether your current screening platform has AI-generated content detection capabilities, and if not, what the upgrade path looks like.
Your employer brand or EVP lead — With only 45% of job seekers confident they'll find a job, there's a trust gap to address. Ask them how your employer brand can signal stability — the survey shows retirement plans and healthcare beat flashy perks — while also demonstrating that your hiring process is fair even when AI is involved.
Inspect
What to take a closer look at
Pull your last 100 hires and audit the application materials they submitted: what percentage included language or formatting that appears AI-generated? Cross-reference that with their actual performance in later-stage interviews and onboarding. You may find the correlation is zero — or worse, negative. Specific tool to look at: Your ATS's screening funnel report (application-to-screen pass rate by source, especially direct apply versus sourced).
Reflect
What to think about more deeply
The most interesting question isn't whether AI-generated applications degrade screening quality — they clearly do — it's whether the traditional application form itself has become a fundamentally broken signal. If a candidate can paste a job description into ChatGPT and produce a perfect-looking application in 30 seconds, what are we actually measuring when we screen based on application content?