These delays can often be put down to companies carrying out manual checks, increasing the amount of time spent in administration and by candidates commuting to their prospective office, TrustID said.
Right to work checks:
What HR needs to know about October’s digital right to work check changes
REC warns of issues with digital right to work checks
Government cracks down on illegal working
Nearly a third (31%) of recruiters said they had not been prepared for the changes to RtW checks introduced in October 2022, when it became mandatory to check candidates’ documents manually or through a digital provider.
Mark O’Hara, in-house RtW expert at check provider ID-Pal, told HR magazine many companies had moved into a hybrid form of checks, combining manual and digital processes.
He said: “This takes up both the recruiter's and the candidate’s time and given the results of the report, that is a risk in a very competitive market time. It’s a Catch-22 – the majority understand the need for right to work checks but for many, these checks take days per candidate.
“That time adds up and if a candidate moves on, you’ve lost quality talent along with the time given to recruit and onboard to date. That’s a cost in and of itself to consider.”
While a majority (60%) of firms said they use ID service provider technology at least some of the time, that left four in 10 (40%) using fully manual checks.
Tony Manchin, CEO of TrustID, said: “Identity validation technology means that right to work checks can be done on the same day as an interview or when an offer is made. This helps companies that use an identity service provider (IDSP) to avoid missing out on their choice of candidate.”
O’Hara added: “Given the main challenge reported was the availability of new talent in a competitive market, it’s clear that missing out on the quality candidates your organisation needs to scale and grow is the biggest opportunity being missed here.
“The pandemic led to all-digital experiences being the new normal, so now candidates have higher expectations when being onboarded and could still change their minds."
