Susie Thomson, Chair Elect of the Professional Background Screening Association (PBSA) and former founder of Security Watchdog on why the rise in temporary hiring makes consistent workforce screening more important than ever.
The latest KPMG and Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) Report on Jobs shows employers increasingly turning to temporary workers as they seek greater workforce flexibility in an uncertain economic environment. The Professional Background Screening Association (PBSA) says the shift reinforces the importance of ensuring screening standards keep pace with changing employment models.
Temporary workers have become an increasingly important part of workforce planning, allowing organisations to respond quickly to changing demand, access specialist skills and manage costs during periods of economic uncertainty.
However, as employers become more reliant on temporary and contingent workers, organisations must ensure that the speed and flexibility offered by these employment models does not result in inconsistent or reduced screening standards.
The latest KPMG and REC Report on Jobs found that temporary billings increased at the fastest rate since April 2023, as employers continued to prioritise flexible staffing solutions to complete projects and support business development.
The trend highlights an important challenge for employers. Temporary workers, contractors and other contingent staff can often have access to the same workplaces, systems, sensitive information, customers and vulnerable individuals as permanent employees.
The risks associated with a role are determined by the level of access, responsibility and trust involved, not by the length of an employment contract. As organisations increase their use of flexible workers, background screening policies must therefore reflect the risks associated with the role rather than the employment status of the individual carrying it out.
This is particularly important when organisations are recruiting quickly to meet short-term demand. Pressure to fill vacancies, complete projects or respond to changing business requirements can create a temptation to accelerate recruitment processes. Speed, however, should not come at the expense of appropriate due diligence.
Identity verification, Right to Work checks, employment and qualification verification, criminal record checks where appropriate, and other role-specific screening measures should be applied consistently across the workforce according to the risks and responsibilities associated with each position. Employers must also understand where responsibility for screening sits when temporary workers are supplied through recruitment agencies, staffing companies or other third parties.
Outsourcing recruitment does not remove the need for organisations to understand who is working within their business, what screening has been carried out and whether those checks meet the organisation’s own standards and risk requirements. Clear contractual expectations, consistent screening policies and appropriate oversight of recruitment and staffing partners are therefore essential.
As workforce models become increasingly complex, organisations should consider whether their screening programmes provide a consistent view of risk across permanent employees, temporary workers, contractors and other contingent staff. A fragmented approach, where different categories of workers are subject to different levels of scrutiny despite having similar access or responsibilities, can create unnecessary vulnerabilities.
The latest labour market figures demonstrate that temporary workers are becoming an increasingly important part of how organisations manage uncertainty and respond to changing business needs. Employers should welcome the flexibility this provides, but workforce flexibility must be supported by equally robust and consistent screening practices.
Organisations that apply proportionate, risk-based screening standards across their entire workforce will be better placed to protect their employees, customers, operations and reputation as the labour market continues to evolve.
