Employment background screening is a key way for employers to meet due diligence requirements to hire safe, qualified employees and to reduce negligent hiring exposure and workplace violence. Post-employment background checking, or rechecking, has emerged as an equally critical practice to monitor safe and legal activities and mitigate ongoing risk.

Compliance issues, fraud, workplace violence, and negligent hiring liability—and the risk of personal liability—are all significant drivers for increasing corporate concern about the most effective and efficient background checking methods.

Background checking companies estimate between 7 and 12 percent of applicants are turned away because of background issues: about 5 to 6 percent are due to criminal issues, 2 to 4 percent due to false employment or education, and about 1 to 4 percent based on motor vehicle record or credit problems.