In today’s rapidly evolving employment landscape, background checks have become an essential component of the hiring process for both job seekers and recruiters in the United States. As organizations strive to mitigate risk, ensure workplace safety, and maintain regulatory compliance, the scope and sophistication of background screening continue to expand. Meanwhile, job seekers are increasingly aware of how their personal, professional, and even online histories can impact their career opportunities. This comprehensive compilation of research findings, statistics, studies, and expert insights offers a detailed look at the latest trends, challenges, and best practices shaping the world of background checks, providing valuable context for employers, recruiters, and candidates alike.
- The U.S. background check industry reached $4.5 billion in revenue in 2024
Citation: IBISWorld. (2024). Background Check Services in the US – Market Research Report. - 92% of employers conduct criminal background checks for some or all positions
Citation: Cavico et al. (2013). Criminal Background Checks in the American Employment Process. - 95% of U.S. employers utilized employment background screening in 2018
Citation: Security Magazine. (2018). Background Screening Utilized by 95% of U.S. Employers. - 86% of employers cite public safety as their primary reason for conducting background checks
Citation: Security Magazine. (2018). Background Screening Utilized by 95% of U.S. Employers. - Standard employment background checks typically cover seven years of history
Citation: Checkr. (2025). How Far Back Does a Background Check Go? - 63% of HR professionals attribute background check delays to government slowdowns
Citation: Broadleaf Results. (2024). Background Check Delays. - FCRA requires standalone disclosure documents and separate authorization for background checks
Citation: CareerLearning. (2024). A Comprehensive Guide to FCRA Compliance. - Ban the Box policies show no measurable improvement in employment rates for people with criminal histories in the private sector
Citation: Doleac, J. (2021). The Intended and Unintended Consequences of Ban the Box. - Only 4% of employers conduct continuous “rolling” background checks
Citation: HR Dive. (2019). Few Employers Use Rolling Background Checks. - 70% of companies use social media screening during hiring processes
Citation: AIHR. (2024). Social Media Background Checks. - 72% of employers conduct background checks on all new hires
Citation: CareerBuilder. (2025). Employment Background Check: A Job Seeker’s Guide. - 74% of employers conduct background checks after conditional job offers
Citation: Verifirst. (2014). Surprising Statistics About Employment Background Checks. - 47% of organizations lack confidence in their background check policy compliance
Citation: Checkr. (2024). State of Screening Compliance 2024. - Employment verification checks typically take 2-4 days to complete
Citation: Indeed. (2025). How Long Do Pre-Employment Background Checks Take? - 2024 saw increased emphasis on data privacy and expansion of Ban the Box laws
Citation: Per Mar. (2024). 2024 Background Check Trends. - 17 states and DC implemented comprehensive firearm background check laws by 2024
Citation: RAND Corporation. (2024). The Effects of Background Checks. - Universal background check requirements reduced firearm suicide rates by 3-5%
Citation: RAND Corporation. (2024). The Effects of Background Checks. - 55% of employers conduct pre-employment drug testing
Citation: CareerBuilder. (2025). Employment Background Check: A Job Seeker’s Guide. - 40% of employers automatically reject applicants with any criminal record
Citation: Cavico et al. (2013). Criminal Background Checks in the American Employment Process. - 69% of Americans believe social media checks are effective hiring tools
Citation: AIHR. (2024). Social Media Background Checks. - 81% of employers maintain long-term relationships with background screening providers
Citation: Verifirst. (2014). Surprising Statistics About Employment Background Checks. - 83% of employers prioritize accuracy when selecting background check vendors
Citation: Verifirst. (2014). Surprising Statistics About Employment Background Checks. - 15% of organizations conduct annual employee background rescreening
Citation: HR Dive. (2019). Few Employers Use Rolling Background Checks. - 89% of employers use county/statewide criminal searches
Citation: Security Magazine. (2018). Background Screening Utilized by 95% of U.S. Employers. - 16% of employers include credit checks in standard screenings
Citation: Security Magazine. (2018). Background Screening Utilized by 95% of U.S. Employers. - Employment verification discrepancies rose to 14.26% in FY24, up from 9.9% in FY21, marking a 44% increase
Citation: Business Standard. (2024). Employee background verification discrepancies surge 44% in key industries. - The global background check market was valued at USD 15.54 billion in 2024 and is expected to reach USD 39.60 billion by 2032
Citation: Data Bridge Market Research. (2025). Global Background Check Market Size, Share, and Trends Analysis. - 96% of employers conduct background checks according to Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)
Citation: Data Bridge Market Research. (2025). Global Background Check Market Size, Share, and Trends Analysis. - 12.5% increase in background check discrepancies in the gig economy over the past three years
Citation: Business Standard. (2024). Employee background verification discrepancies surge 44% in key industries. - Telecom sector saw background check discrepancies spike to 18.2%
Citation: Business Standard. (2024). Employee background verification discrepancies surge 44% in key industries. - IT and ITeS sector discrepancy rates peaked at 19.38% in FY 2020-21 but dropped to 9.8% by FY 2023-24
Citation: Business Standard. (2024). Employee background verification discrepancies surge 44% in key industries. - Banking and Financial Services (BFSI) sector saw a 10.4% increase in background check discrepancies
Citation: Business Standard. (2024). Employee background verification discrepancies surge 44% in key industries. - 57% of employers decided not to hire candidates based on social media screening findings
Citation: Integrity Asia. (2025). Social Media Screening: Why 57% of Recruiters Decided Not to Hire Candidates. - 71% of hiring managers find social media screening helpful for evaluating candidates
Citation: Phyllo. (2025). How Can Social Media Screening Affect Job Opportunities. - 88% of employers would consider firing employees based on social media content
Citation: Phyllo. (2025). How Can Social Media Screening Affect Job Opportunities. - 48% of hiring managers use social media to vet candidates for communication skills, while 44% assess creativity
Citation: Psico Smart. (2024). Analyzing the Role of Social Media Screening in Hiring Decisions. - 61% of employers reconsidered job offers after reviewing candidates’ social media profiles
Citation: Psico Smart. (2024). Analyzing the Role of Social Media Screening in Hiring Decisions. - 46% of 35-year-old men looking for work in 2018 had a conviction for a nontraffic crime as an adult
Citation: RAND Corporation. The Facts on Hiring People with Criminal Histories. - About 25% of men in the active workforce in 2018 had at least one prior conviction for a nontraffic offense
Citation: RAND Corporation. The Facts on Hiring People with Criminal Histories. - Ban-the-box applicants were 27% more likely to receive callbacks in Chicago (ban-the-box jurisdiction) than in Dallas (non-ban-the-box)
Citation: Iowa Law Review. Do Ban-the-Box Laws Really Work? - White men and women received 50% more callbacks than Black men and women in hiring discrimination studies
Citation: UNC Carolina Population Center. (2024). Study: Hiring pressures to diversify influencing patterns of discrimination. - 5,597 FCRA cases were filed in 2022, representing a 3.5% increase from 2021
Citation: Consumer Financial Services Law Monitor. (2023). Year-End Report Reveals Continuing Trend of Increased FCRA Filings. - Random drug testing has a positivity rate of 5.7%, compared to 4.7% for pre-employment testing
Citation: Drug Safe Workplace. (2021). The Value of Random Drug Testing. - 57% of workplaces require pre-employment drug testing, but only 47% require random drug testing
Citation: Drug Safe Workplace. (2021). The Value of Random Drug Testing. - Nearly 1 in 4 job seekers (25%) had a career gap of at least 12 months in 2025, up from 19% in 2020
Citation: LiveCareer. (2025). Over 27M Resumes Reveal Growing Trend in Employment Gaps. - Over 50% of workers reported at least a one-month employment gap in 2025
Citation: LiveCareer. (2025). Over 27M Resumes Reveal Growing Trend in Employment Gaps. - The percentage of job seekers with no career gaps dropped from 57% in 2020 to 48% in 2025
Citation: LiveCareer. (2025). Over 27M Resumes Reveal Growing Trend in Employment Gaps. - 61% of hiring managers still consider resume gaps to be a negative sign, with reliability as the top concern (29%)
Citation: Business Journals. (2024). Resume gaps still matter despite shifting attitudes. - 82% of companies use some form of pre-employment assessment test as of 2016
Citation: HireDNA. (2023). 82% of Companies Use a Pre-Employment Assessment Test. - 12.7% of full-time employees worked from home in 2023, with 28.2% adapting to a hybrid work model
Citation: Edge Information. (2024). Ways Employment Background Checks Changed in 2023. - The global online background check market is estimated to reach USD 27.29 billion by 2032, exhibiting a CAGR of 13.2% from 2025 to 2032
Citation: Coherent Market Insights. (2025). Online Background Check Market Trends & Forecast, 2025-2032. - Commercial use of background checks is expected to contribute 68.8% of the market share in 2025
Citation: Coherent Market Insights. (2025). Online Background Check Market Trends & Forecast, 2025-2032. - North America holds 44.1% of the global online background check market share in 2025
Citation: Coherent Market Insights. (2025). Online Background Check Market Trends & Forecast, 2025-2032. - Asia Pacific region holds 21.8% market share and is expected to exhibit the fastest growth in the global online background check market
Citation: Coherent Market Insights. (2025). Online Background Check Market Trends & Forecast, 2025-2032. - The pre-employment testing market was valued at USD 2.5 billion in 2024 and is forecasted to grow at a CAGR of 8.8% from 2026 to 2033, reaching USD 5.1 billion by 2033
Citation: LinkedIn. (2025). PRE Employment Testing Market Key Trends, Growth and Forecast. - 65% of managers will hire candidates based on skills alone, according to Resume Genius’s Hiring Trends Survey
Citation: Resume Genius. (2025). 6 Must-Know Resume Trends for 2025. - 61-72% of Black workers reported drug testing in their workplaces, which was 15-20% points higher than their Hispanic and White counterparts
Citation: PMC. (2023). Ethnoracial differences in workplace drug testing and policies. - 50.6% of employed individuals reported having a workplace drug testing policy in 2015-2019
Citation: PMC. (2023). Ethnoracial differences in workplace drug testing and policies. - 45.7% of Black workers and 46.8% of Hispanic workers were likely to get fired when tested positive for drug use, significantly higher than White workers at 37.7%
Citation: PMC. (2023). Ethnoracial differences in workplace drug testing and policies. - Only 13.0% of Hispanic workers were likely to be referred for treatment/counseling, significantly lower than Black workers at 19.8% or White workers at 17.9%
Citation: PMC. (2023). Ethnoracial differences in workplace drug testing and policies. - Universal e-verify mandates appear to reduce hourly earnings by about 8 percent among male Mexican immigrants who are likely to be unauthorized
Citation: IZA. (2014). The Impact of E-Verify Mandates on Labor Market Outcomes. - The graduate employment rate reached a record 90% for postgraduates in 2024, creating the largest gap ever between master’s degree holders and undergraduate degree holders
Citation: Times Higher Education. (2025). Graduate employment gap at record level in under-fire statistics. - The employment gap between graduates and non-graduates reached a record 19.6 percentage points in 2024
Citation: Times Higher Education. (2025). Graduate employment gap at record level in under-fire statistics. - Job scams increased by 250% from 2022 to 2023, according to data from the Better Business Bureau
Citation: Persona. (2024). Employment Identity Verification: A Primer. - In 2018, nearly 36 percent of the total U.S. workforce was made up of part or full-time gig workers
Citation: Chane Solutions. (2020). 2020 Trends: Greater Focus on Background Screening Gig Economy. - At least 103 Uber drivers were accused of sexually assaulting or abusing their passengers within a four-year period, with 31 being convicted of crimes
Citation: Chane Solutions. (2020). 2020 Trends: Greater Focus on Background Screening Gig Economy. - It’s estimated that 96% of employers perform at least one type of background check during the hiring process
Citation: Barada Associates. Should Employers Run Background Checks for Remote Employees? - Ban-the-box applicants were 27% more likely to receive callbacks in Chicago than in Dallas, refuting claims that these laws don’t increase employment opportunities
Citation: Iowa Law Review. Do Ban-the-Box Laws Really Work? - The black applicant’s callback rate in the ban-the-box jurisdiction was lower than the white applicant’s callback rate in the non-ban-the-box jurisdiction
Citation: Iowa Law Review. Do Ban-the-Box Laws Really Work? - 5,597 FCRA cases were filed in 2022, representing a 3.5% increase from 2021
Citation: Consumer Financial Services Law Monitor. (2023). Year-End Report Reveals Continuing Trend of Increased FCRA Filings. - Remote employees pose unique risks including information loss, fraud, dishonesty, low productivity, and non-compliance issues
Citation: Accurate. (2023). Navigating The Background Check Process for Remote Workers. - A healthcare provider saw workplace violence incidents decrease by 40% over two years after implementing robust background screening
Citation: KENTECH. (2025). The Role of Background Checks in Enhancing Workplace Safety. - A manufacturing company experienced a 30% drop in theft-related losses after integrating background checks into their hiring process
Citation: KENTECH. (2025). The Role of Background Checks in Enhancing Workplace Safety. - AI-powered background check systems can flag anomalies, detect fraud patterns, and assess behavioral cues through digital footprints
Citation: Coherent Market Insights. (2025). Online Background Check Market Trends & Forecast, 2025-2032. - THC exclusion testing is becoming increasingly popular among employers who want to test for drug use without running the risk of unfair discrimination
Citation: Chane Solutions. (2023). Pre-employment Drug Testing: An Overview of THC Exclusion Testing. - 80% of job seekers lie or consider lying on their resumes, with education and employment history being the most common areas for misrepresentation
Citation: StandOut CV. (2023). Resume Lying Statistics. - 36% of employers have withdrawn a job offer after a background check revealed a lie or discrepancy
Citation: ResumeLab. (2023). Lying on a Resume: Statistics and Facts. - 46% of employers say they have caught an applicant lying about their education on a resume
Citation: ResumeLab. (2023). Lying on a Resume: Statistics and Facts. - 85% of employers say they have found a lie or misrepresentation on a resume or job application
Citation: HireRight. (2023). 2023 Global Benchmark Report. - 60% of employers conduct background checks to improve the quality of hires
Citation: HireRight. (2023). 2023 Global Benchmark Report. - 41% of employers conduct background checks to protect company reputation
Citation: HireRight. (2023). 2023 Global Benchmark Report. - 36% of employers conduct background checks to comply with laws and regulations
Citation: HireRight. (2023). 2023 Global Benchmark Report. - 28% of employers say background screening helps reduce employee theft and fraud
Citation: HireRight. (2023). 2023 Global Benchmark Report. - 24% of employers say background screening helps reduce workplace violence
Citation: HireRight. (2023). 2023 Global Benchmark Report. - 67% of job seekers expect to undergo a background check as part of the hiring process
Citation: JDP. (2023). Background Check Expectations Survey. - 21% of job seekers have withdrawn from a hiring process due to a lengthy or complicated background check
Citation: JDP. (2023). Background Check Expectations Survey. - 72% of employers say the time to hire is negatively impacted by delays in background screening
Citation: HireRight. (2023). 2023 Global Benchmark Report. - 65% of employers have improved their background screening processes to speed up hiring
Citation: HireRight. (2023). 2023 Global Benchmark Report. - 91% of employers say background checks have uncovered issues they would not have found otherwise
Citation: HireRight. (2023). 2023 Global Benchmark Report. - 73% of employers say background checks have helped them avoid a bad hire
Citation: HireRight. (2023). 2023 Global Benchmark Report. - 78% of employers say background checks are “very” or “extremely” important to their organization’s risk management strategy
Citation: HireRight. (2023). 2023 Global Benchmark Report. - 59% of employers say background checks help improve regulatory compliance
Citation: HireRight. (2023). 2023 Global Benchmark Report. - 48% of employers say background checks help improve workplace safety
Citation: HireRight. (2023). 2023 Global Benchmark Report. - 30% of employers say they have increased their use of social media checks in the past year
Citation: HireRight. (2023). 2023 Global Benchmark Report. - 49% of employers say they have found concerning information about a candidate on social media
Citation: CareerBuilder. (2018). Number of Employers Using Social Media to Screen Candidates at All-Time High. - 34% of employers have reprimanded or fired an employee based on social media content
Citation: CareerBuilder. (2018). Number of Employers Using Social Media to Screen Candidates at All-Time High. - 70% of employers use social networking sites to research job candidates during the hiring process
Citation: CareerBuilder. (2018). Number of Employers Using Social Media to Screen Candidates at All-Time High. - 57% of employers are less likely to interview a candidate they can’t find online
Citation: CareerBuilder. (2018). Number of Employers Using Social Media to Screen Candidates at All-Time High. - 47% of employers say they wouldn’t call a person for an interview if they can’t find them online
Citation: CareerBuilder. (2018). Number of Employers Using Social Media to Screen Candidates at All-Time High.
