Implementation of AI Recruitment Systems in Swiss HRM: The Importance of Technological and Organizational Factors

Purpose – There are no studies on the factors involved in the spread of AI recruitment tools in Swiss HR. Aims(s) – The aim of this paper is to understand the determinants of AI diffusion in Swiss human resources recruitment process. In addition to the usual factors such as relative advantage, costs, security, financial resources or organizational size, this paper also looks at factors such as red tape or the innovative climate of organizations. Design/methodology/approach – This article is based on a quantitative method, PLS-SEM. Our database consists of 324 private and public respondents working in Swiss HR. They were selected through a survey based on their membership of the various regional sections of the HR Swiss association. Findings – The main findings of this article are that relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, cost reduction, size of organization, technological expertise of employees, innovative climate, and red tape are directly related to the evaluation and adoption stages of this type of AI tool. Security, for its part, is only linked to the evaluation of these tools. Compatibility and technological expertise are also directly linked to the routinization of these tools. Limitations of the study – First, this is a longitudinal study that needs to be replicated to offer causal explanations. There may also be a selection bias in favor of optimistic respondents who already have HR AI in their organization. This bias is nevertheless controlled, as few of our respondents already use this type of tool. In the future, other predictors could be added to our model, including environmental or individual predictors. Practical implications – HR decision-makers now know what levers they can use to successfully implement HR AI in their recruitment process. Originality/value – This article makes a significant contribution to the literature about the diffusion of nascent HR information systems in the specific context of Switzerland and provides decision-makers with levers on which to act to encourage the introduction of this type of AI-based information systems within their organization. No other study has identified the factors behind the spread of HR AI tools in the specific context of Switzerland, as they are still in their infancy.