Despite trepidation over the federal deficit, the economy is continuing to slowly pick up steam, at least according to more than 1,000 members of the human resources administration, recruiting, safety and security industries.
According to HireRights' Employment Screening Benchmarking Report for 2011, 90 percent of respondents said they have no plans to shrink their workforce, while 51 percent actually plan to hire more employees – be they permanent or temporary workers. Last year, only 43 percent answered similarly.
Furthermore, employers are using more rigorous screening methods for applicants. Nearly half of those polled said they use employment background checks and drug screening to improve the hiring process.
"Employers continue to share the benefits realized through employment background and drug screening, including improving the quality of their hires, mitigating risks and maintaining compliance," said Rob Pickell, HireRight senior vice president of customer solutions.
However, hiring efforts may stall as uncertainty over the national deficit increases and the August 5 deadline looms.