The standard was launched in Parliament by the Association of RecTech Providers (ARTP), part of the Better Hiring Institute, and announced by Lord Ranger of Northwood of the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee.
The new framework arrives as AI becomes increasingly embedded in recruitment systems. It sets clear expectations for the ethical use of AI, promotes inclusive hiring, and strengthens data security for millions of candidates whose personal information is processed through digital hiring tools.
“Recruitment technology increasingly determines who gets seen, shortlisted and hired. The aim isn’t to slow innovation down. It’s to make good innovation easier to recognise,” said Christopher Platts, Chair of ARTP.
The aim isn’t to slow innovation down. It’s to make good innovation easier to recognise.
Christopher Platts, Chair of ARTP
The ARTP represents technology providers responsible for more than 200 million job applications a year. Its creation followed the National Hiring Strategy, which found that broken hiring costs the UK £75 billion annually.
Leaders across policy and safeguarding welcomed the new standard. Lord Clement‑Jones, a long‑standing advocate for ethical AI, said the standard “puts ethics at the heart of recruitment technology,” while Ian Johnston, Executive Director at the Disclosure & Barring Service, praised it as an “independent benchmark” that will help employers make safer, more informed choices.
Keith Rosser, Chair of the Better Hiring Institute, said the standard will help deliver “mentally healthy hiring” and transform a system that has “been largely untouched for centuries.”
It is hoped this standard, which RecTech providers have worked together to create, will help employers find the systems that really do support inclusive and fair hiring, improving the recruitment experience for all concerned.
For more information, contact: secretariat@betterhiringinstitute.co.uk
