Posts by Staff
May 2018 employment: US adds 223,000 jobs
According to ‘The Employment Situation‘ report released by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate in the United States dropped to 3.8% and the number of unemployed persons declined to 6.1 million, while the economy added 223,000 jobs, in May. After six months at 4.1%, unemployment finally broke below 4%…
Read MoreFive signs your organization needs a pre-employment screening company
While there are plenty of websites that advertise “free” background checks and employment screening, those sites typically provide very little information, if any, that would be useful to an employer. Simply, applicant information like this is not the kind of information you can find with just a quick click of the mouse. That’s why, once…
Read MoreChange to “Accrual of Unlawful Presence” rule will make it tougher for employers to hire foreign students or exchange visitors
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) are changing how they calculate unlawful presence for students and exchange visitors in F, J, and M nonimmigrant status, who fail to maintain their status in the United States. Accrual of unlawful presence for more than 180 days bars reentry to the United States for three years (10 years…
Read MoreKansas bans the box
Kansas Governer Jeff Colyer signed an executive order earlier this month ‘banning the box‘ for state agencies. The order issued by Colyer will stop applications for executive branch jobs from asking about criminal history. Applicants may still be asked about criminal history further in the hiring process. “Studies have shown that gainful employment is a…
Read MorePositivity rate for workplace drug testing at highest rate in a decade
According to analysis of more than 10 million drug test results in the 2018 Quest Diagnostics Drug Testing Index, drug use by the U.S. workforce is at its highest level in more than a decade. The positivity rate for drug tests was 4.2 percent in 2017, the same as in 2016, and the highest since 2004.…
Read MoreFrito-Lay pays $2.4M to settle background check claims
Frito-Lay Inc. has agreed to pay $2.4 million to resolve claims that it violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act by using improper disclosure forms for obtaining consumer reports for pre-employment background checks. The FCRA requires employers to use certain documents and to follow specified policies and practices when they use background checks to assess the…
Read MoreApril 2018 employment: US adds 164,000 jobs
According to ‘The Employment Situation‘ report released by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate in the United States dropped to 3.9%, while the economy added 164,000 jobs, in April. After six months at 4.1%, unemployment finally broke below 4% for the first time since December, 2000. The economy has…
Read MoreTarget agrees to change pre-employment screening process
Last month, the NAACP reached a settlement with Target Corporation to resolve allegations that its criminal background check policy discriminated against African-American and Latino applicants. The civil rights group called the background check portion of Target’s pre-employment screening process “overly broad and outdated”. Previously, it has been suggested that the retailer discriminates against black and…
Read MoreCalifornia bill to provide workplace discrimination protection for medical cannabis users
With California’s legalization of recreational cannabis this year, state lawmakers continue to push legislation that normalizes cannabis use. State Assemblyman Rob Bonta, D-Oakland, wants to see that normalization extended to the workplace through protections for employees who use cannabis for medical purposes. Eleven states have employment laws protecting medical cannabis patients against employment discrimination. California is…
Read MoreUber boosts background check program
In a recent blog post, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said the company will be boosting their background check program in two fundamental ways: Annual reruns: In the past, Uber conducted background check reruns in jurisdictions where required. Going forward, the company will proactively rerun criminal and motor vehicle checks each year, regardless of whether there is…
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