As 2011 fades into memory, we at A-Check are making the following predictions for this year:

1. Credit report and criminal records information use by employers will continue to come under scrutiny by individual state and country legislatures, privacy rights advocates and special interests, making compliance the number one concern for employers this year.
2. International screening services will continue to grow at a fast clip. Employee screening companies that do not have comprehensive international networks will work through companies like A-Check, that do, to obtain international background check results rather than build their own networks.
3. Integrations of background screening within ATS/HRIS/VMS systems will be the norm, not the exception, at least for enterprise clients.
4. Social-media based background checks will be challenged in court. As an employer, if you can’t ask about something in a job application or inteview, you should not find out about it through FaceBook.
5. More and more employers stung by poor service and liability issues from low-price leader background screening companies will continue to seek out medium-sized providers like A-Check that offer all the technology and global infrastructure of the largest players but have not forgotten the art of customer service.
6. Screening Industry mergers and aquisition activity will continue to have a negative effect on service quality for employers unfortunate enough to be a client of these companies during such activity.
7. Poor employee screening practices that may save money in the short run but are detrimental to applicants will continue to arouse the attention of the EEOC, the FTC and class action lawyers looking for deep pockets, with serious consequences both monetary and PR-related.
8. As troops return home from active duty, more and more military service verifications will come into play as these veterans transition to civilian employment.
9. As state budgets continue to feel the effects of the economic downturn, early release of convicted criminals will mean employers must redouble efforts to remain vigilant about whom they onboard.

Each of these trends demand a screening partner like A-Check, with a strong emphasis on compliance, technology infrastructure and customer service.