Pre-screening time of contractors trebles
2 October 2014
The average time taken by recruitment agencies to conduct pre-employment screenings of freelance workers and contractors has recently trebled, according to the chief executive of the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self Employed (IPSE).
Wed, 2 Oct 2014 | By DeeDee Doke
The average time taken by recruitment agencies to conduct pre-employment screenings of freelance workers and contractors has recently trebled, according to the chief executive of the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self Employed (IPSE).
Speaking at the Recruitment Agency Expo yesterday [1 October] in Birmingham, Chris Bryce said his organisation was “seeing an increasing trend” for more complicated screening measures.
Such screening “used to take a week – now it takes three weeks”, Bryce said.
In response to a question from Recruiter, Bryce said he did not believe that the increased complexity of the screenings was emerging from employers’ requests. Instead, Bryce said, he believes that recruitment agencies are putting forward offers of more intensive screening as part of competitive bids “to get a client’s business”.
His comments elaborated on his suggestion to the audience that providing “speedy pre-employment screenings” was one way in which recruitment agencies could best support their freelancers and contractors. Other measures included:
The 22,000-member strong IPSE was recently rebranded from its previous identity as PCG, the Professional Contractors Group.
Speaking at the Recruitment Agency Expo yesterday [1 October] in Birmingham, Chris Bryce said his organisation was “seeing an increasing trend” for more complicated screening measures.
In response to a question from Recruiter, Bryce said he did not believe that the increased complexity of the screenings was emerging from employers’ requests. Instead, Bryce said, he believes that recruitment agencies are putting forward offers of more intensive screening as part of competitive bids “to get a client’s business”.
His comments elaborated on his suggestion to the audience that providing “speedy pre-employment screenings” was one way in which recruitment agencies could best support their freelancers and contractors. Other measures included:
- Solid, clear contracts
- Prompt payments
- Quick starts
The 22,000-member strong IPSE was recently rebranded from its previous identity as PCG, the Professional Contractors Group.
