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Recruitment today is being redefined by precision, fairness, and strategy. The era of posting a vacancy and waiting for the right CV is long gone. According to LinkedIn’s 2025 Future of Recruiting Report, 93 percent of talent-acquisition professionals say skills-based hiring is now key to addressing talent gaps. Meanwhile, CIPD’s 2024 Resourcing & Talent Planning Report finds that 69 percent of organisations report increased competition for well-qualified talent.

At the same time, the integration of AI and analytics is reshaping how organisations identify and assess talent. LinkedIn highlights a sharp rise in the use of generative-AI tools for sourcing, screening and assessment. Yet, as Harvard Business Review notes in “How AI Assessment Tools Affect Job Candidates’ Behavior” (2023), when candidates know they are being assessed by AI, they tend to emphasise analytical traits over creativity or empathy. This reinforces the need to balance efficiency with ethics and human connection.

Adding to the challenge, CIPD’s Spring 2025 Labour Market Outlook reports employer confidence at its lowest level outside the pandemic, with just one in four employers planning redundancies but overall hiring intentions remaining weak (net employment balance +8). This aligns with LinkedIn’s Global Talent Trends, which show internal mobility up 6 percent year-on-year even as external hiring slows.
Together, these shifts signal that recruitment must evolve, focusing not only on acquiring talent but on developing and deploying the skills already within the organisation.

The Recruitment, Assessment & Selection Conference 2026 responds directly to this landscape. Over two days, experts and practitioners will explore how leading organisations are adapting recruitment, assessment and selection to drive agility, inclusion and measurable impact. The agenda examines the real issues shaping the profession: ethical AI, predictive analytics, employer branding, candidate experience and the ROI of assessments.

Benefits of attending

  • Cost-conscious yet high-impact recruitment
    With budgets under pressure and talent competition rising, you will learn lean sourcing, creative referral models and affordable assessment tools grounded in case evidence from organisations that have delivered results without large budgets.

  • Technology with human-centred design
    As AI and automation become more embedded, the risk is losing candidate trust or introducing bias. You will explore how to integrate analytics and AI into recruitment processes that maintain candidate experience, fairness and transparency.

  • Employer brand matters more than ever
    Talent markets are not purely about pay; culture, purpose, mobility and flexibility now influence decision-making. You will gain frameworks to build an EVP (employer value proposition) that genuinely reflects what your organisation stands for and retains talent beyond hire.

  • Workforce of the future is now
    Gig, hybrid and contingent models are shifting how roles are shaped and how careers are managed. You will step away with insight on how to adapt job profiles, sourcing models and workforce planning accordingly, not as a nice-to-have but as business-critical.

  • Inclusivity and assessment fairness are non-negotiable
    The use of assessments and selection tools is under increasing scrutiny from technology bias, regulatory changes and heightened candidate expectations. You will gain a grounded roadmap for bias-aware, neurodiverse-friendly and legally compliant recruitment practices.

  • Linking selection to measurable business outcomes
    Recruitment is now expected to show clear impact on retention, performance and business value. You will explore how to move from “we filled the role” to “we filled the role and improved business outcomes”, supported by analytics, ROI and measurement.

Who Should Attend?

Recruitment-Assessment-Selection-Conference-2026

  • HR Managers – Decision-makers responsible for talent strategy and workforce planning.

  • Talent Acquisition Specialists & Managers – Professionals leading recruitment efforts and implementing hiring processes.

  • Recruitment Consultants & Agencies – External recruiters who need to stay ahead of hiring trends and best practices.

  • Diversity & Inclusion Officers – Leaders focused on equitable hiring practices and workplace inclusivity.

  • Employer Branding & Employee Experience Managers – Professionals shaping employer value propositions and workplace culture.

  • Workforce Planning & Strategy Leaders – Experts analysing skills gaps and future workforce needs.

  • AI & HR Tech Specialists – Innovators driving automation, AI-based assessments, and digital hiring tools.

  • Labour Law & Compliance Experts – Specialists ensuring hiring practices align with South African regulations.

  • Recruitment Data Analysts – Professionals leveraging hiring analytics and predictive workforce data.

  • Psychologists & Behavioural Scientists – Experts in candidate assessments, psychometric testing, and recruitment biases.

  • University & Vocational Training Leaders – Educators bridging the gap between academia and workforce demands.

  • NGOs & Social Impact Leaders – Organisations tackling youth unemployment and workplace inclusivity.

Future-Proofing Recruitment: Skills, Fairness, and Technology for a New Era

Summary of topics across the two day agenda

Day 1: 11 March 2026
  • The Labour Market Outlook 2026–2030: Skills, Disruption, and Opportunity
  • Recruitment on a Shoestring: High Impact with Low Budgets
  • From Recruiter to Strategist: The Evolving Role of Talent Acquisition
  • Labour Law and Compliance in Recruitment
  • Panel Discussion:
    Onboarding and Retention in 2026 – Beyond Paychecks
  • Recruitment Analytics: From Dashboards to Workforce Insight
  • Purpose and Authenticity in Employer Value Propositions
  • From Job Description to Skills Blueprint: Profiling and Selection in the Skills-Based Economy
Day 2: 12 March 2026
  • Finding the Right Talent in a Crowded Market: Smarter Sourcing and Selection Strategies
  • How to Interview Smarter
  • Candidate Power in the Transparency Era
  • Psychological Safety in Assessments
  • Open Roundtable: Talent Acquisition Think Tank
  • Engaging Gen Z Talent: Attraction, Selection and Early-Career Engagement
  • Talent Mobility and Internal Career Growth
  • The ROI of Assessments: Linking Selection to Performance

Don’t miss the pre-conference workshop!

10 March 2026 | 09:00-15:00
  • Strategic Succession Planning: Building a Leadership Pipeline

  • By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

    • Understand the principles of succession management and its strategic importance
    • Identify high-potential talent and design development plans
    • Create actionable succession plans for critical roles
    • Implement strategies to mitigate risks associated with leadership transitions.
Register by 15 December to save 15%

VENUE

NH Johannesburg Sandton

Our location is in the heart of Johannesburg’s business district, ideal for meetings and conventions of all sizes. We are a short walk from Johannesburg Stock Exchange and two kilometers from Sandton Gautrain Station, which runs high-speed connections to O.R Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg and Pretoria.
There’s something for everyone to enjoy when dining at NH Johannesburg Sandton. From brilliant buffet options at Tradewinds to light bites when you need refueling at Faces. Snack and sip at the Pool Gazebo Bar.
Commerce and entertainment meet in Sandton, Johannesburg’s leading commercial district. Wander the high-end shops in Sandton City or pause for coffee on the pretty Nelson Mandela Square. Take some time out by the pool with cocktails and a view and by night hit a nearby casino for gaming fun.

Download the Conference Brochure

Contains full programme and more information on our featured speakers!

Partner with us

Sponsorship & Exhibition Opportunities

For over a decade, KR has curated this premier event, attracting Recruitment, Assessment & Selection leaders who are influential decision-makers. Elevate your brand and establish robust business relationships, lead generation and a thriving pipeline through our sponsorship opportunities.

Benefits:

  • Engage directly with current and potential business partners.
  • Forge significant connections, generate leads, and close sales.
  • Showcase your most recent product and service innovations.
  • Feature your executives through speaking opportunities that solidify your market position.
  • Access an elite networking platform with top HR decision-makers.
  • Demonstrate your products’ and solutions’ practical applications within our inventive conference agenda.
  • Select from a variety of sponsorship packages to fit any budget.

Don’t miss out on presenting your brand at this event, by partnering with us for the Organisational Development Annual Conference 2026.

NOTE: There are limited sponsorship and exhibition opportunities available.

Contact Virginia Motsepe – virginia@knowres.co.za to find out more.

ENQUIRE ABOUT MORE OPTIONS AVAILABLE