Rising identity fraud, AI adoption, and workforce trust concerns reshape hiring and background screening priorities worldwide

NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

HireRight, a leading provider of global background screening services and workforce management solutions, today announced the release of its 2026 Global Benchmark Report. This year’s comprehensive report identifies regional and global trends in background screening, talent acquisition, and workforce management, based on the survey responses of more than 1,900 human resource, risk, and talent acquisition professionals worldwide, collected between Feb. 18 and March 6, 2026.

Among this year’s survey findings, accuracy and quality of results remained the top priority for employers globally when choosing their employment screening provider. At the same time, organizations reported growing concerns around identity fraud, AI-enabled hiring risks, and workforce trust, contributing to increased adoption of identity verification checks and post-hire screening programs worldwide.

Other survey results shared in HireRight’s 2026 Global Benchmark Report include:

Most companies uncovered candidate discrepancies during background screening in the last 12 months. Employment verifications remained the area most likely to uncover inconsistencies globally, while enterprise-sized organizations reported the highest rates of candidate discrepancies.

Misalignment with corporate values emerged as a leading workforce risk concern. In EMEA and APAC, detecting behavior or histories misaligned with company values outranked the “cost of a bad hire” as a top risk organizations aim to mitigate through employment screening.

AI adoption in HR continues to grow, but attitudes toward candidates using AI tools vary by region. While North American respondents were largely neutral or unsure about candidates using generative AI tools during the application process, nearly half of APAC respondents viewed such usage positively. APAC organizations were also the most likely to report using AI tools to support HR functions.

More companies are continuing to shift toward office-based workforces. Despite recruitment challenges tied to remote work expectations, organizations globally reported declining plans to hire fully remote employees in 2026 and increasing expectations for office-based or hybrid workforces.

“As organizations navigate rapid advances in AI, increasing workforce fraud risks, and continued hiring challenges, the findings in HireRight’s 2026 Global Benchmark Report provide valuable insight into how employers around the world are adapting their screening, hiring, and workforce management strategies,” said HireRight President and CEO, Euan Menzies. “We’re pleased to share these findings to help organizations benchmark their programs and make more informed workforce risk and talent decisions in a changing global environment.”

For more information and to download HireRight’s 2026 Global Benchmark Report, please visit www.hireright.com/benchmark2026.

About HireRight

HireRight is a leading global provider of background screening, verification and workforce solutions, helping organizations hire the right people and build trusted teams. With operations around the world, HireRight enables employers to make informed hiring decisions while helping ensure compliance with evolving regulatory requirements. For more information, visit www.hireright.com.

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Source: HireRight