Employers can’t tell which applicants are genuine, and candidates face job scams and fake listings. 

Job seekers and employers both feel the same—these days, it’s hard to tell what’s real and what isn’t. iHire’s 2026 State of Online Recruiting Report, based on a survey of 1,054 job seekers and 318 employers across 57 industries, found that fraud is eroding trust in online hiring, with AI tools making fake applications and job postings easier to produce. 

iHire’s survey found that 23.6% of employers received at least one fake or fraudulent applicant in the past year. The report points to AI tools that make it easier to produce convincing resumes, profiles, and applications at scale. Twenty-two percent of employers cited inauthentic applications and resumes as a concern about AI in hiring. The top item on employers’ job board wish list was the ability to verify that candidates are real people and not AI (39%). 

Job seekers are dealing with their own authenticity problem. More than four in 10 (41.2%) encountered a fake or scam job in the past year, and 42.8% said it’s hard to tell whether a job or employer on a platform is legitimate. 

The research also found that: 

• 24.2% of employers use AI in recruitment, most often to write job ads (66.2%) and draft candidate messages (62.3%); 

• 32.4% of job seekers reported using AI to write or customize a resume or cover letter this year; 

• 44.3% view employers’ increased AI use in hiring negatively, compared to 21.8% who view it positively; 

• 83.3% of AI skeptics fear qualified candidates will be unfairly screened out; and 

• 68.3% of them are concerned about less human interaction. 

Looking to dive deeper? We keep an ever-growing archive of HRO Today Association member webinars. Watch now: “From AI Hype to AI Agents: What’s Actually Working in TA Right Now.”