Statistics on Background Screening for Employment

A background screening is generally used when considering hiring someone for a job. They help employers ensure that they’re hiring someone who will be a good fit for their company. Statistics show that about 42.6 million Americans admit to lying on their resume. That’s about 55% of Americans. It seems men are likelier to lie on their resumes than women (59.9% vs. 50.6%). Considering these numbers, it becomes obvious that this practice is essential.

Which Employees Should You Screen?

In 2018, 95% of companies said that they screen employees before hiring them.
86% screened full-time employees.
68% screened part-time employees.

Why Screen Employees?

86% of companies said they screened employees to protect their employees and clients.
52% did it in order to hire better people.
38% did it to maintain their company reputation and image.
39% did it due to legal requirements.

When to Do Background Screening for Employees?

62% of companies perform screenings after making a conditional job offer but before the employee accepts it.
27% did it before making a job offer but after the interview.

Which Background Screening Is Most Important?

84% of companies asked for national criminal background checks.
89% asked for a state/county criminal background check.
16% asked for a credit check for all their potential hires.
31% asked for education verification for all candidates.
40% asked for driving records.
Only 8% were interested in social media verification for all their candidates.
45% asked for drug and alcohol testing.
36% asked for professional license verification.

Consider Background Screening Today

Based on these statistics, one can safely say that most companies and human resource professionals consider background screening essential. As per these statistics, the most important part of this practice is the criminal background screening, followed by drug and alcohol testing and driving records. By screening all your new hires, you can protect your employees and clients, hire better people, maintain your company reputation, and comply with legal requirements.