Katrina Leslie Speaks at the WEF, Davos
January 27, 2026Posted by:
Labour markets across the UK, US and beyond are under growing pressure, with rising application volumes delivering poorer outcomes for both jobseekers and employers. This challenge was brought into sharp focus at this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos, where the future of work and the role of artificial intelligence featured prominently in global discussions.
Speaking at Davos, Katrina Leslie, Founder and CEO of swipejobs, PeoplePlus' parent company highlighted how today’s hiring systems are increasingly struggling to deliver fair and effective outcomes and how the growing use of AI is often exposing, rather than fixing, underlying problems.
Katrina pointed to the increasing reliance on AI in early-stage recruitment, with many employers now using automated tools to screen applicants out at the start of the hiring process. While often intended to manage volume, these systems are frequently trained on biased public labour-market data and have not always been proven to be effective.
“When AI is used to reject people early, the opportunity is gone,” Katrina said. “Human oversight later in the process can’t undo that damage.”
This matters not just for jobseekers, but for employers too. As application numbers rise, businesses are spending more time processing candidates while still struggling to achieve strong matches, improve retention, or fill critical roles. The result is a labour market under strain on both sides.
Katrina argued that the issue lies less with AI itself and more with the legacy hiring model it is being layered onto; one where employers post roles and individuals are required to search, apply repeatedly, and compete at scale.
“What we believe is that you need to turn the job model upside down and focus on the jobseeker,” she explained. “Take all available jobs in the job market and match them to them.”
Rather than using AI to filter people out, Katrina described a model where individuals have choice and control over how AI works for them, interacting with technology in a way that improves matching over time and reduces the need for mass screening.
The conversation at Davos also reflected growing regulatory and societal concern about the use of AI in employment decisions. In Europe, job screening and ranking are now classified as high-risk under the EU AI Act, while legal cases in the US have demonstrated the scale at which automated hiring tools can affect access to work.
As AI becomes more deeply embedded in recruitment, Katrina stressed that the decisions being made now will shape who gains access to opportunity in the years ahead.
“The challenge for employers, policymakers and technologists is how to use AI to increase participation in jobs, not restrict it,” she said.
For organisations navigating tightening labour markets and evolving technology, the message from Davos was clear: improving how people are matched to jobs, rather than simply screening more people out; will be central to building fairer, more effective hiring systems in the future.
Visit www.swipejobs.com to see the matching in action
January 27, 2026Posted by:
