The New Rules Of Talent Acquisition: The Companies Winning 2026 Will Be The Ones Hiring Like Humans

Predicting anything right now feels impossible. After two decades working across the MENA region, I won’t pretend to know exactly what the next few years hold, especially after reading a new report on artificial intelligence (AI) that paints a future darker than most of us dare say out loud. But there are principles I’ve learned from the thousands of conversations with clients here and around the world that can help you compete now. 

If you work in talent today, you can feel it: the ground is shifting under your feet. The Middle East isn’t just catching up with global hiring trends, it’s pulling ahead. AI is racing forward. Candidates want stability and growth. And leaders are realizing that the old hiring playbook no longer works. This isn’t a “future of work” story. It’s a right now story. And if you’re responsible for finding, growing, or keeping great people—you know exactly what I mean. 

The Temptation Of AI Agents (And The Truth No One Likes To Admit) 

AI used to be something companies talked about. Now it’s something they use. Recruiters aren’t being replaced, but they are being rewired. But what does the data say? According to Korn Ferry’s 2026 Talent Acquisition Trends report, 84 percent of global talent leaders say they plan to use AI in 2026.  

And it’s not just about screening CVs: more than half (52 percent) of talent leaders plan to add autonomous AI agents to their teams in 2026. That doesn’t mean these AI agents are replacing roles; it means the work itself is evolving. The smartest companies are using AI to take the repetitive load off people, so that humans can do the work machines can’t: judgment, relationships, and decisions that shape the business. 

Leaders do need to be careful with the lens they use when integrating AI agents. If the only lens is cost-cutting, they will miss the bigger picture: AI should strengthen teams, not hollow them out. Yes, companies can save money in the short term by swapping a six-figure role for a five-figure AI agent. But we don’t have any real data that proves this model can fuel sustained growth over the next 5–10 years.  

What we do know today is that businesses grow when people work well together, when teams challenge each other, make judgment calls, and build the kind of trust no algorithm can replicate. The companies that win aren’t the ones cutting costs today; they’re the ones building capability for tomorrow. 

Skills Are The New Currency (And Everyone’s Trading In The Same Market) 

The region’s growth is outpacing its talent supply, and everyone is hiring from the same limited (and finite) pool. And here’s the uncomfortable truth: you’re not just competing with your competitors; you’re competing with entire industries. 

I read on the news the other day that an engineer from Boeing had left aviation to join OpenAI. Aviation to AI because the opportunity was bigger. Then I saw a story in The Wall Street Journal about a data scientist leaving JPMorgan to work for Walmart. Banking to retail, because that’s where innovation and investment is happening. 

These stories have one thing in common: people aren’t loyal to sectors anymore. They’re loyal to opportunity. An engineer can jump from aviation to AI to government-backed innovation projects. A data scientist can shift from banking to retail. And people here in the Middle East are doing the same because skills travel. 

Design Hiring Like A Relationship (Not A Transaction) 

Candidates in 2026 expect more than speed. They expect respect. They want: 

• Clear steps 

• Honest feedback 

• Proof someone read their resume or application 

• A hiring process that feels human, not robotic 

That’s because they are comparing companies not just by pay, but by how they treat people when they’re still "candidates.”  

For example, organizations that insist on outdated office-only mandates may struggle: Korn Ferry finds 52 percent of talent acquisition leaders say office mandates hinder recruiting, while many report that remote or hybrid roles are easier to fill.  

The companies winning talent today aren’t the most generous, they’re the most human. They design hiring like a relationship, not a transaction. 

For the Middle East, where flexible roles are not always an option, flex doesn’t have to mean fully remote. As local companies compete with global talent, organizations must offer clarity on onsite expectations, build hybrid options where feasible, and localize candidate care—fast feedback, culturally aware communication, and decision timelines you (and your hiring managers) actually meet. 

Talent Acquisition Is Becoming A Strategic Function  

The strongest leaders in the region have stopped treating talent acquisition as a service desk. They now see it as a strategic engine. 

Because here’s a quiet truth we don’t always say: hiring decisions drive business outcomes often more than any quarterly plan ever will. 

Good hiring predicts growth. Weak hiring predicts a crisis. Great hiring aligned with skills, culture, and long-term ambition becomes a competitive advantage. 

The Middle East is building at a scale the world hasn’t seen in decades. Talent acquisition teams aren’t just filling jobs. They’re shaping the future. 

Organizations in the Middle East will do well putting talent acquisition at the table for portfolio planning, not just backfilling. Pair workforce analytics with business strategy, where you deploy skills will determine which programs actually land.  

What Leaders Need To Do Now  

If you work in talent, here’s the moment you’re in: you’re building the future. And the rules have changed. So, what should you do? 

• Use AI where it helps, not where it harms. Let people make the calls that matter especially in hiring decisions where judgment and empathy count. 

• Hire for skills and thinking, not just titles. The data shows critical thinking is now #1. 73 percent of talent acquisition leaders rank critical thinking as their #1 recruiting priority, while AI skills rank fifth. 

• Make your hiring experience human. The application process itself tells people what kind of company you are. 

• Treat talent acquisition like strategy. Use your data. Use your influence. Build your workforce with intention. 

This region has big ambitions. If you want to meet them, you need people who feel they can grow with you—not just work for you.  

The companies that understand this, that build talent as a strategic, data‑driven, human‑centered function will win 2026. The ones that don’t will keep wondering why everyone else is moving faster. 

About The Author 

Iktimal Daneshvar is Vice President and Senior Client Partner, Recruitment Process Outsourcing, Middle East and Africa, at Korn Ferry, a global organizational consulting firm.