Employment Hero Launches AI Recruitment Agent to Reduce Hiring Time by 75% for Canadian SMBs

Employment Hero, a global provider of HR, payroll, and hiring software, has launched a new AI-powered Recruitment Agent designed to help small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in Canada speed up hiring and improve candidate evaluation. Powered by the company’s proprietary Hero AI technology, the new recruitment tool automates the most time-consuming part of hiring—first-round candidate screening.

The Recruitment Agent is built directly into Employment Hero’s AI-powered Employment Operating System and conducts structured video screening interviews using AI. During the interview, an AI voice assistant asks role-specific questions and evaluates candidates based on cognitive ability, job-related skills, and cultural fit.

According to the company, the system can reduce screening time by 75% and shorten the overall hiring process by up to 10 days.

AI-Powered Hiring Workflow

The Recruitment Agent is powered by Hero AI, Employment Hero’s internal AI engine that supports multiple HR automation tools, including intelligent shortlisting, candidate matching, and HR support through the “Ask Hero AI” assistant. Instead of adding AI as a separate tool, Employment Hero has embedded AI directly into the hiring workflow to support decision-making throughout the recruitment process.

The platform replaces traditional resume screening with structured, AI-led video interviews and automated evaluation scorecards. Candidates are guided through role-specific interview questions, and the AI can ask follow-up questions if answers are unclear, giving candidates a better opportunity to demonstrate their skills beyond what is written on their resume.

Hiring teams receive AI-generated summaries, candidate scorecards, and ranked shortlists, while still maintaining full control over final hiring decisions. The company emphasizes that the AI is designed to support recruiters, not replace them, by removing administrative bottlenecks and speeding up the screening process.

Designed for a Challenging Hiring Market

The tool was developed in response to the current hiring challenges faced by Canadian SMBs. Many companies are dealing with high volumes of job applications in some sectors, talent shortages in others, and increasing pressure to hire quickly without compromising candidate quality or fairness.

The Recruitment Agent includes human-in-the-loop approvals, customizable scoring criteria, transparent communication with candidates, and secure data handling to ensure responsible AI usage and fair hiring practices.

Early Adoption and Results

BigGeo, a Calgary-based spatial cloud company, was one of the early adopters of the Recruitment Agent during its beta testing phase. The company used the system to manage a large number of applications across multiple roles, including finance, sales, and technical engineering positions. According to BigGeo’s leadership, the AI recruitment tool helped them manage application volume efficiently and ensured that shortlisted candidates were well-suited for the roles before human interviews began.

Improving the Candidate Experience

The launch also aims to improve the candidate experience. In today’s job market, many applicants submit hundreds of applications without receiving responses. The AI recruitment system is designed to ensure that every applicant goes through a structured screening process instead of being filtered out quickly through resume scanning alone.

By replacing rushed resume reviews with structured AI interviews, the platform aims to make hiring more transparent, fair, and efficient for both employers and job seekers.

Industry Impact

The launch of AI-powered recruitment agents highlights a growing trend in HR technology, where AI is being used to automate repetitive hiring tasks, improve candidate evaluation, and reduce hiring time. For small and medium-sized businesses, tools like Employment Hero’s Recruitment Agent could make hiring faster, more efficient, and more data-driven while still keeping human decision-making at the center of the process.