Delays in candidate screening are threatening TA

According to research from Access Recruitment  present delays to candidate screening are threatening talent acquisition in most UK businesses with more than eight in ten (83%) employers losing out on top talent due to the time taken to complete pre-employment screening checks.

In today’s tight candidate market, recruiters cannot afford to experience such delays. Governmental processing bottlenecks are affecting background screening for 61% of UK companies, directly prolonging organisations’ time to hire.

Businesses are increasingly introducing automated screening, especially for Right to Work (RTW) checks. In October 2022, the Home Office made digital RTW processing a permanent fixture, introducing certified Identification Document Verification Technology (IDVT) for continued worker identification checks without the need to meet in person.

Flaws within current manual screening processes affect employers and candidates alike. Employers suffer delays in accessing the talent they desperately need, and candidates are stalled in commencing their employment.

James Waby, Pre-Screening Consultant at Access Recruitment spoke exclusively to TALiNT International:“According to our new data, almost half (49%) of agency and inhouse respondents are already utilising candidate screening technology. This is promising, but there is work to be done to ensure that more companies understand how to embrace technology to automate their pre-employment screening processes for better efficiency and compliance. Moving forward, organisations have so many opportunities to move away from manual processes to help them onboard workers faster, particularly amid the challenging economic environment and talent shortages.”