Background Check Statistics (23 Interesting Facts, Trends + Statistics)

Well, in this video, we’ll be checking if businesses are actually required to run background checks or not and if they need to.

These background checks are a fun way to learn more about the information available for you on a job application!

Background Check Statistics In 2022

There’s a good chance that a background check will take longer than expected, as much as three days for most people. This might be because your background check is being conducted by an internal department and not by a company contracted to do the checks, or simply because there are many checks to be done.

If you do have other questions you’re curious about, and want to continue reading the complete list of 23 interesting facts about background checks, then continue reading below to find out!

1. 78% Of People Report Lying On Job Applications Or Resumes

I had a friend who was applying for a job and they asked him to write down a list of his hobbies. When he was asked what his hobbies were he wrote down lying (that he liked to “lie”). Now his resume didn’t have a problem, so this wasn’t on the actual resume, it was just in the application.

2. Employer Background Checks Most Often Go Back 7 Years

Background checks on potential employers are run for a length of time that varies per company. Usually, this is seven or ten years.

3. 95% Of Employers In 2018 Conducted Background Checks

I remember seeing a news article a few years ago from a UK company that was a huge success. They had a few very important hires that resulted in them achieving an IPO.

As the United States is in the middle of a labor shortage, businesses have to find people that are willing to work for them.

4. Over 77.7 Million Americans Have A Criminal Record

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, nearly one in three people in the U.S. have a criminal record. Some people are more likely to have a criminal record than others.

5. 10,000 To 12,000 People A Day Earn Criminal Records

People with criminal records have to get approved for a job.
People with criminal records have to go through government benefits.
People with criminal records have to be approved for public housing.

Additional, every day up to 12,000 persons get a criminal record. This will have a lasting impact on the job market and labor force.

6. 53% Of All Job Applications Contain Inaccurate Details

There is a shocking statistic about inaccurate information on job applications. It is that 53% of job applications, are found to have inaccuracies in the details on the application.

Further, the inaccuracies could result in an applicant being denied employment with the employer even if the applicant has already been offered the job.

7. $50 Billion In Losses Annually Due To Employee Theft

Employee theft has resulted in more than $50 billion in losses each year, which is a large hit for businesses and employers across various industries.

However, due to these losses, small businesses are often forced to cut down on hiring and staff reduction.

8. Employees 5 Times As Likely To Steal From Businesses

In the case of employees stealing from businesses, it seems like people don’t have too much respect for your business.

Therefore, background checks are crucial for trying to find poor performing employees before they can steal from the company.

9. 60% Of Job Applications Contains College Education Lies

The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated that about 60% of job seekers lied about their education when applying for a job.

What I hear about is that they lied when they obtained a job. When applying for a job, there are multiple documents you can provide to verify the information in your resume. Many people will provide a transcript that verifies the fact that they did in fact attend the school or that they passed a particular subject.

10. Waiting Over 3 Days For Gun Background Checks Have 4 Times Likelihood Of Being Denied

The fact that it takes three days to check people’s gun backgrounds is really interesting, and one fun fact about gun background checks is that if the wait time exceeds three days, it’s four times as likely to be denied.

This disqualifying information leads to the conclusion that the background check will show up on the NICS background check system.
There are two important reasons that the NICS background check system could show up on the records for the state in which you live.

11. In 2020, 39.2 Million Gun Background Checks Were Performed By The FBI

This statistic was a little surprising, but if you consider that most of these background checks are for long gun purchases, this makes sense.

12. 4.3 Million Gun Checks Performed In January 2021

The FBI ran more than 4.3 million gun background checks in January 2020. This was the most ever done in a single month. Many believe it shows the future of the gun control movement.

For example, this statistic shows that the number of Americans choosing to own guns is increasing, and it is increasing faster in states that have passed stricter gun control laws.

During the month of July, 4.3 million checks were written. This is the highest number on record for the month.

13. 45% Of Job Applicants Lie About Why They Left Previous Job

When it comes to jobs, up to 45% of all job applicants will lie about why they left their previous job.

14. 79% Of All Job Applicants Say Lying On Resume Went Unnoticed

Lying is something that many Americans overlook. The truth is that a lot of Americans do it on their resume in some form, shape or another.

Not only have I been lied to, but I have also been lied to by others, and this has led to my health and psychological state being affected.

15. Bad Hires Cost More Than 24 Times The Salary Of The Bad Hire

If a company has to deal with a bad employee, it could cost the company up to 24 times the total cost of that employee!

When you review the candidate, you must be careful not to assume any negative information from past performance and reviews.

16. Texas, Kentucky, & Illinois Have Diligent Criminal Background Checks

When it comes to criminal records, Texas and Kentucky are the most stringent states when it comes to checking for criminal records. This means that it can possibly take longer than other states.

It’s interesting to see how the states with the strongest background check laws fare, because this is also a good way of measuring the strength of the gun control movement in states.

17. 84% Of Healthcare Theft Is Motivated By Financial Gain

Healthcare theft has to be one of the most common reasons for background check reports. Nearly all healthcare theft cases involve financial motives – so it’s important to be prepared to discuss this topic effectively.

18. 90% Of NICS Cases Instantly Concluded

Instant background checks are run on NICS when one is trying to buy a firearm, which is used for hunting and other activities.

As many as 90% of all NICS checks are concluded instantly, with an average processing time of 107 seconds to complete the check.

This is why the NICS Background Check does not have to wait until after the sale to be completed.

What they are saying is that if their system tells them that someone is prohibited from buying a gun, they will not sell a gun to him or her.

The NICS system also maintains an accurate and complete database of all guns that have been reported lost, stolen, or otherwise reported as being used in a crime.

19. Over ⅓ Of Driving Record Checks Reveal Violations

People like to look at different ways of background checks. One of the more popular background check services is checking on a person’s driving record. According to driver record checks, about 1/3 of the time, a person will reveal one or more driving violations.

20. Background Checks Stopped More Than 300,000 Illegal Gun Sales in 2020

In 2020, gun background checks stopped about 300,000 illegal gun sales. That’s an interesting fact to learn.

21. 22% Of Gun Owners Received Gun Without Background Check

Around 22% of all gun owners received their gun without undergoing a background check, which is the highest number of gun owners who received their gun without undergoing a background check in about two years.

The number of Americans who carry or have guns has grown dramatically since the early 1990s, a long-term rise that is driven in part by more people buying guns and by the passage of looser gun laws in states like Indiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Florida in recent years.

22. County Criminal Background Checks Are Most Common

When a criminal background check is completed, the most common method is a county-level criminal background check. In this particular situation, most employers perform a county-level background check.

23. All 94 Federal Courts Are Searched During Federal Background Check

When someone has to undergo a federal background check, and it turns out they have committed a federal crime, the records from all the federal courts are pulled, and the federal violations are found.

How Common Are Background Checks?

Background checks are extremely common in the American workplace, with nearly every employer choosing to run background checks on potential employees.

It is because of the lack of workers that there is a demand for workers. In addition, a lot of companies have found it is more cost effective to hire workers from overseas rather than hire locally. Therefore, more companies are outsourcing their jobs.

How Worried Should I Be About A Background Check?

If your background check shows something that you did not know about, the employer will likely give you a chance to address it.

However, employers are more likely to use job applications and interviews as a way to see if you are honest and trustworthy.

If you need to hire a worker, you should also check their employment history, criminal background check, fingerprinting, and credit checks.

Conclusion

When asked about their own backgrounds, 66% say they were truthful, and 22% report embellishing their resume or job application.

It’s surprising because studies show that it’s only a small minority of job seekers who provide false information about education or employment history.

It is very important for companies to perform background checks to make sure no employees have been convicted of a crime.