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How to avoid hiring the 1 in 10

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EMPS, South Africa’s oldest, premier background screening company has just released Annual Screening Report Findings for 2015. The report is an in-depth look at the statistics and trends in employee background checks over the past year.

For the second year running the results show that 11.8% of applicants checked have a confirmed criminal record. Further to this, 21% those with a criminal record, have a theft related conviction, over 35% have more than 1 criminal record and over 16% have 3 or more records.

1% of applicants checked in 2015 were listed on the SA Fraud Prevention Service Database. This database is a listing of frauds committed that are generally not prosecuted criminally (application/ CV/ qualification fraud, credit card fraud, credit application fraud, insurance fraud and identity fraud).

Despite the credit amnesty granted to all South Africans in 2014, in an effort to help job applicants increase their chances of getting into the job market, there were still 15% of job applicants with a negative credit listing in 2015.

Over 1% of ID documents screened were either never issued by Home Affairs or that of a deceased person.

Of all the qualifications that were submitted for verification in 2015, 15.7% could not be verified. Of these unverified qualifications, 3.48% were confirmed to be fraudulent. The most prevalent fraud occurring with matric certificates, professional association memberships and trade certificates.

According to Kirsten Halcrow, the CEO of EMPS, “The use of background screening by South African business is most definitely increasing annually. Companies unfortunately often realise the hard way what risk one unscrupulous employee can do to their business. Pre-employment background checks is one way to reduce that risk and ensure that you don’t hire that 1 in 10”.

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Alan Straton

Chief Cook, Bottle Washer and Broom Mechanic at MyPE
Passionate about Port Elizabeth and definitely NOT packing for Perth. Alan's ethos is epitomised in the words of Nelson Mandela; "I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society. If need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." See more articles by Alan.