Executive search is going through a difficult adjustment. Recruitment platforms have made candidate information easier to obtain, while internal recruitment teams, RPO providers and AI tools have taken on more routine hiring work. A recruiter whose service consists mainly of forwarding CVs has less to explain when asked what the fee pays for.
At the same time, clients expect more help with roles that are scarce, urgent or important to the business. A stack of CVs is not enough. They want a judgement: why is this person suitable, and what supports that view?
“Part of the recruiter's value used to come from an information gap: the company did not know where the people were, and we did,” a UB hunter representative explains. “Today, the value is increasingly in understanding and interpreting that information.”
In the firm's view, competition is moving from access to information towards the ability to make sense of it.
AI changes the work a consultant should spend time on
Large language models can help search CVs, conduct initial screening and match keywords. That has prompted predictions that AI will eventually replace recruiters.
UB hunter's argument is more specific. AI can take over tasks that add relatively little value, while the difficult parts of senior search depend on understanding business needs, organisations and industry conditions. There is often a considerable distance between a founder's request for “someone outstanding” and a candidate profile that would actually solve the company's problem.
Persuading a person who is not looking for a job to consider a move also depends on trust, timing and a careful understanding of both sides.
“AI will not replace every recruiter, but recruiters who know how to use it will displace those who do not,” the representative says. “When tools remove administrative work, consultants can spend more time doing the work the title implies.”
A narrower sector focus can support deeper judgement
One response to pressure on fees is to cover more industries and accept more assignments. UB hunter describes a different approach: concentrating on five broad areas—energy and power; AI and embodied intelligence; Robotics and intelligent Manufacturing; semiconductors and integrated circuits; and cross-border e-commerce and international expansion.
Executive and specialist search remains central, supported by RPO, learning and development, flexible staffing, workforce planning and advisory, and talent services for Southeast Asian expansion.
The firm's argument is that a consultant cannot build a detailed understanding of every industry at once. An employer selecting a recruiter needs to know whether the consultant can make a well-founded judgement about its particular role.
AI hiring offers an example. Large-model algorithm engineers attract much of the attention, but UB hunter's search experience points to acute shortages in AI infrastructure: distributed training, inference optimisation and compute scheduling. These roles demand considerable engineering and systems experience, and the relevant people are not all in the conventional internet-company talent pool.
Embodied AI presents a similar pattern. Embodied foundation models, vision-language-action (VLA) algorithms and motion control are difficult areas to hire for. As a robotics business moves towards production, joint modules, dexterous hands, sensors, process engineering and supply chain can become equally difficult. Relevant candidates may be scattered across adjacent industries rather than gathered in an obvious robotics talent pool.
The firm's advice is to identify the bottleneck at the company's current stage before concentrating the entire search effort on the most visible job titles.
Overseas recruitment requires country-specific decisions
International expansion has created new work for recruiters, while exposing the limits of a uniform approach.
Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam illustrate the differences. Singapore is a mature, internationally connected market suited to regional headquarters and senior functions, with strong competition and longer recruitment cycles. Thailand's manufacturing base makes it relevant to plant operations and manufacturing roles, where local management, language and cultural fit matter. Vietnam is described as younger and fast-growing, with a developing talent market and rising salary expectations.
The choice of country and the first roles to recruit should be considered together. A regional headquarters or capital-intensive function may point towards Singapore; manufacturing and supply-chain requirements may bring Thailand and Vietnam into the discussion; local sales and service teams need to be close to their customers.
Founded in 2016, UB hunter is part of Shenzhen Pengcheng Human Resources Co., Ltd. We are headquartered in Shenzhen, with Wuhan as our central China headquarters, national coverage and local talent-service capability and partner networks in core Southeast Asian markets including Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
On the question of expatriate versus local country managers, the firm starts with the business. An early operation requiring close alignment with headquarters may benefit from an internal assignee. A role that depends heavily on local relationships may favour local recruitment. Market-entry leaders need to understand the company; expansion-stage leaders increasingly need to understand the local market. The available talent pool also affects what is realistic.
We recommend using expatriate staff to establish the initial structure while building local capability and planning the local management pipeline from the outset.
Much of the value comes before the search begins
UB hunter describes a six-stage process: clarify the requirement, design the search strategy, screen candidates, conduct professional assessment, coordinate interviews and offers, and follow through on joining and the agreed guarantee arrangements.
The first two stages carry particular weight. Before starting, the consultant should be able to answer three questions: which companies are likely to employ suitable people, why those candidates might consider the opportunity, and what compensation range is realistic.
The candidate side needs the same care. Strong candidates often are not actively looking and may be put off by generic messages about a “high-paying opportunity”. A useful conversation explains where the role sits in the industry and what it could mean for that person's career.
Someone who declines to explore an opportunity today may be relevant next year or the year after. Relationships therefore need to be maintained over time, rather than treated as entries in a static CV database.
Our 109-person internal team works with external experts and partners to extend our coverage. The value for clients comes back to one practical point: when a client has a difficult and urgent appointment, the service needs to offer an adviser who understands the sector and can explain a recommendation.
AI is changing the division of work. Budgets may be tighter, but difficult hiring decisions still require judgement. That is the part of the profession UB hunter expects to matter most.