Member Article

Sterling urges employers across EMEA to ensure background screening is a priority in light of huge surge in demand

With recent company data indicating a rapid growth in demand for consistent international employee screening services, Sterling has urged employers to make sure that they have consistent background screening processes in place at both local, regional and global levels.

In an analysis of company data, the global leader of background and identity services found that there had been a rise of almost 30% in the number of checks carried out in Europe (excluding the UK), with just under 200,000 checks requested in the last two years alone.

As a result of this surge in demand, Sterling, who have already expanded its domestic presence with a brand new office in London, will be increasing its own operations on the continent. Currently, this will include the opening of a base in Amsterdam, along with various expansion and improvement plans across locations such as Switzerland, Germany, Poland and Romania.

Commenting on the rise in figures, Steve Smith, Managing Director EMEA of Sterling stated:

“Something that’s visibly apparent from our recent analysis is that the demand for thorough and consistently applied background screening throughout Europe and the Middle East is growing rapidly. As the risks around hiring increase, and fraudulent candidates become ever more sophisticated in their use of technology, the need for robust processes that can withstand local and global scrutiny is crucial.”

’‘In today’s recruitment landscape, effective background screening is still indisputably the best way for firms to avoid risk while hiring, and safeguard their most important asset – people. As such, companies must be absolutely certain of what checks they can perform for different roles, and develop a comprehensive, compliant, and consistent background screening policy for both local and regional markets.“

“Given this uptick in demand, I’m delighted to announce that we are continuing the expansion of our European operations. The decision to open an on-the-ground office in Amsterdam and begin growing our local team was a no-brainer, and will allow us to far more effectively service this growing demand for expert guidance around employee background screening.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Sterling .