Annual HireRight Healthcare Industry Survey Finds Only 25 Percent of Organizations Screen their Extended Workforce, Despite Access to Vulnerable Populations

The healthcare industry faces exponential growth, increasing pressures to attract and hire talent quickly yet safely

IRVINE, Calif.--()--HireRight, a leading provider of global employment background checks, drug and health screening, and electronic Form I-9 and E-Verify solutions, today announced healthcare industry findings from its 2017 Annual Employment Screening Benchmark survey. HireRight’s 2017 Annual Healthcare Spotlight report presents valuable insights into the industry’s best practices in hiring, background screening and employment trends.

The healthcare industry is growing faster than any other segment of the U.S. economy and by 2024 will replace the state and local government major sector as the single largest employing industry in the U.S., according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The HireRight survey found 83% of healthcare industry respondents expect their workforce to increase in the next 12 months, and 30% project a 6% or greater growth rate. As a result, the industry faces significant challenges finding qualified healthcare workers. This has led to investments in new ways to attract and retain qualified employees, creating a greater emphasis on the need to provide an excellent hiring and onboarding experience.

The survey found healthcare organizations are:

  • Increasing their use of social networking to recruit active and passive talent – up 22% from last year
  • Offering flexible shift scheduling (47%), tuition reimbursement (34%), and work/life balance programs (30%), in an effort to retain talent

The survey also revealed several risk-producing trends, including:

  • Only 25% of respondents extend their background screening to non-employees (contingent and/or contract workers), despite these workers having access to vulnerable populations
  • The industry is increasingly turning to foreign-born and foreign-educated candidates (Migration Policy Institute), yet only 17% of respondents screen international backgrounds of U.S. employees, and only 16% screen their employees based outside of the U.S.
  • Surprisingly, only 64% of healthcare organizations conduct drug tests on current employees – critical when staff has easy access to drugs
  • While 42% of healthcare organizations found sanctions when screening their candidates, they are not checking their employees frequently enough – only 20% check on a monthly basis

The healthcare industry is facing tremendous pressures to meet increased demand for its services, which creates challenges in finding and hiring qualified talent quickly and efficiently,” said Mary O’Loughlin, managing director, healthcare at HireRight. “At the same time, it’s essential that organizations take the time to thoroughly screen and rescreen every worker to ensure they do not pose a health or safety risk to consumers or patients. It’s not an easy task, especially in a regulated industry where turnover is high.

To learn more about key healthcare industry trends and best practices in background screening and drug testing, please visit: http://www.hireright.com/resources/view/2017-health-care-spotlight-report

Survey Methodology

The HireRight 2017 Annual Employment Screening Benchmark Report is based on a survey of nearly 4,000 human resources, recruiting, security, and management professionals. Of the total survey respondents, 12 percent indicated that their primary industry was healthcare. The results described in HireRight’s 2017 Healthcare Spotlight report were compiled from those healthcare industry respondents.

About HireRight

HireRight delivers global background checks, drug and health screening, employment and education verifications, and sanction searches to help companies hire the right candidates. HireRight offers extensive screening solutions that can be tailored to the unique needs of the organization, giving employers additional peace of mind about their people and vetting processes. HireRight’s platform can be integrated with existing HR platforms, making it easy to use and giving candidates the best possible experience. For more information, visit the company’s web site at www.hireright.com/healthcare.

HireRight is headquartered in Irvine, CA, with offices across the globe. Learn more at www.HireRight.com.

Contacts

Infinite Global
Kelsey Eidbo, 415-732-7804
kelseye@infiniteglobal.com