78% More Applications. But Who's Really Behind Them?
Applying for a job has never been easier. But what does an application actually tell an employer anymore?
According to Germany's Institute for Employment Research (IAB), employers received 78% more applications per new hire in 2025 than in 2022. The average increased from 9 to 16, yet only 28% were considered potentially suitable.
Growing competition for jobs is one explanation. But technology is also changing how people apply, and not always in ways employers can easily recognise.
Applying has become a numbers game
For many jobseekers, sending dozens of applications is simply a strategy. When responses are rare, spending hours tailoring each CV can feel pointless.
AI is making that strategy even easier.
Services such as AIApply can search for jobs, prepare documents and submit applications automatically. Its plans include 100 applications for $49 per month, 250 for $99, or 750 for $199 per quarter.
A recruiter might receive a polished CV and a personalised cover letter that perfectly reflect the job description. Yet the candidate may never have read the full advertisement.
Of course, using AI doesn't make someone less qualified. But a carefully prepared application is no longer a reliable indication of how interested someone actually is.
An application shows interest on paper. It doesn't always tell the whole story.
When recruitment becomes a security risk
The risks go beyond candidates applying to too many positions.
In June 2026, cybersecurity company Nisos reported on a coordinated North Korean employment fraud operation targeting US companies.
The investigation identified:
- 166,893 job applications
- More than 21,645 interviews
- At least 76 job offers
Operatives reportedly used stolen identities, fabricated credentials and AI-generated materials to secure remote employment. Some could potentially gain access to company systems and sensitive information.
This was an extreme case of organised fraud, not typical candidate behaviour. But it demonstrated something important: a company's recruitment process can also become an entry point for security threats.
And that makes the first steps of recruitment worth reconsidering.
Security starts before the interview
Most recruitment improvements focus on what happens after an application arrives: faster CV screening, automated rankings and more efficient communication.
But how candidates enter the process deserves attention too.
A basic application form may allow repeated submissions with little verification. Properly secured forms can prevent many types of abuse, but not every recruitment process includes those safeguards.
Messaging platforms offer a different starting point. WhatsApp and Viber, for example, use phone-number verification and anti-abuse measures that can make some forms of automated activity more difficult.
These controls don't prove someone's identity or prevent sophisticated fraud. However, they introduce additional barriers that a basic, unprotected application form may lack.
This is part of security by design: considering safeguards from the beginning rather than treating security as an afterthought.
Rethinking the first step
As applying becomes faster and easier to automate, receiving more CVs doesn't necessarily mean reaching more interested or qualified candidates.
The challenge is to keep recruitment accessible while finding better ways to understand who is applying and why.
Perhaps the future of recruitment isn't about collecting more applications, but about making the first interaction more meaningful.