More than half of UK employers in a new survey by recruitment firm Morgan McKinley said they do not use AI to hire, compared with 36% across all seven markets polled.

That makes the UK the most cautious in the group, though its figure rests on a small number of companies.

In the third quarter of 2026, Morgan McKinley sent out the survey to its clients and candidates and received 2,106 responses; of these, only 144 were submitted by employers, and about one-fifth of them were from the UK.

The number of UK employers therefore amounts to around 27, a figure which the company itself admits.

British job seekers were also more cautious. While 23% of them as a whole said that being assessed by AI would make them far less likely to apply, 28% said the same thing.

Moreover, 27% of them stated that they would not trust AI to help decide who gets the job.

The use of this technology by candidates remains high. In all sectors, 78 percent use generative AI when looking for work, mainly to write or edit their CVs and cover letters, or to prepare for interviews.

Just 5 percent would allow the AI to make a hiring decision on its own, while 44 percent would be willing to accept a decision reached by the AI in conjunction with a human.

“AI is rapidly becoming part of everyday working life, but our findings show a clear gap between employee concerns about job replacement and how employers are approaching AI.”

“The challenge now is turning that intention into meaningful workforce strategy,” said Chris Lawton, UK Senior Managing Director, Morgan McKinley UK.

That use is causing problems for UK employers, as four in ten said candidates’ use of AI makes their skills and backgrounds harder to verify, and a quarter said a rise in applications is slowing the screening process.

Of the 1,962 employees surveyed, 62% use AI every day, another 15% use it weekly, and 70% say it makes their jobs easier. About a quarter now spend more time checking what AI produces.

Just one in four respondents said that their employer invests sufficiently in their AI skills, while almost one-third stated that they receive no support whatsoever and are therefore teaching themselves outside work hours.

Almost fifty percent of employees, specifically 46 percent, are afraid that AI might take their jobs.

“Recruitment is another area where that transition is already being felt. As candidates increasingly use AI in their job searches and employers grapple with verifying skills and experience, organisations will need to balance the benefits of AI with transparency and human oversight. Building trust will be critical as AI becomes more embedded in how people find and secure work,” said Chris Lawton.

Employers, on the other hand, report a less significant impact: 64 percent stated that AI has not affected the number of employees, 7 percent noted reductions, and 13 percent said it had prevented them from making plans to increase their workforce.

Other research has found similar caution among British businesses. A Deloitte survey in July found large UK companies growing more optimistic about AI while keeping a tight grip on spending.