New Year, New Opportunities – Conducting Background Checks in 2023

A new year brings with it the promise of new opportunities and prospects – and all of us at National Crime Check look forward to supporting you to make the most of it.

I’d like to kick off the year with a trend forecast to give organisations an idea of three major background screening trends we expect to see in 2023.

1. International recruitment is taking off

International recruitment has been growing due to the increased flexibility and remoteness of work, and we expect this to continue in the coming year. A survey by PERSOLKELLY reported that 80% of Asia-Pacific employers are looking to offshore recruitment to achieve business objectives by getting access to a bigger pool of talent (59%) and improving labour and operational costs (50%).

There are many benefits of expanding the recruitment pool to include international candidates, however, it is important for organisations to ensure they hire safely. One way organisations can achieve this is by conducting comprehensive background checks on international candidates, such as criminal history checks, right to work checks, and visa checks.

Identity checks are particularly important as they confirm that the international candidate is who they say they are. This is especially pertinent in international recruitment due to its remote nature and higher potential for identity fraud. Identity verification counters these risks by confirming that the candidate is who they purport to be – and are therefore also more likely to have the experience and education they claim to have.

2. Hiring in the healthcare industry

There was a well-documented global shortfall of healthcare workers prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimating that there was a shortfall of 5.9 million nurses in 2018 and an expected shortage of 18 million health workers by 2030. These shortages have been further exacerbated by the pandemic, especially due to global losses of up to 180,000 health workers during the pandemic.

In 2023 we expect governments to focus on attracting international health workers and other health professionals back to their shores with attractive remuneration and visa schemes. Australia and New Zealand have already had trans-Tasman spats over recruitment of nurses and mental health workers, and Singapore has created a new work pass called the Overseas Network & Expertise Pass (ONE Pass) to make it easier for companies to hire foreign talent for certain health professional and research roles.

Due to the level of vulnerability and trust inherent in the provision of health services, it is vital for healthcare employers to implement a thorough background screening process for all candidates. This should include criminal history checks, identity verification and employment checks to flag whether the candidate has had issues in past roles and whether they have the suitable integrity to be entrusted with a patient care role.

3. Ramping up regulation

We expect to see increased regulation around background checks and personal data in many Asia-Pacific countries in the coming year. From Hong Kong, where institutions will be required to comply with the new Mandatory Reference Checking Scheme starting May 2023, to new personal data protection laws and regulations in India, Indonesia, and Vietnam, there will be a swathe of new and amended regulations affecting background screening in 2023.

These new regulations will create additional burdens on hiring teams to remain abreast of and compliant with evolving requirements. It is therefore highly recommended that organisations partner with experienced screening providers to leverage their resources and knowledge of incoming compliance issues and regulations.

Get in touch with National Crime Check

We’re here to help organisations get their background screening programs in place for the new year. Contact us at sales@nationalcrimecheck.com.au to discuss how we can tailor background checks for your needs and enable you to hire safely and quickly in 2023.

I would also like to personally wish you a wonderful 2023 - we look forward to partnering with you to deliver on the many opportunities and prospects that the new year brings.