Delays in Criminal Background Checking Process Leads to 30+ Day Employment Backlog Nationwide, ScoutLogic Data Shows

LINCOLNSHIRE, Ill., Jan. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Criminal background checking delays across the USA have caused a backlog of a month or more in employment waiting times in some state counties, data from ScoutLogic background screening company has revealed. The delays can be traced back to drastic unemployment rates starting from April 2020 as economies throughout the USA shut down in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

ScoutLogic's data report shows shocking delays in criminal background check processing nationwide, with the worst-hit state counties being:

Crawford, Michigan - 49 extra days
St. Joseph, Michigan - 33 extra days
Hopkins, Kentucky - 25 extra days
Hampshire, West Virginia - 23 extra days
Stewart, Georgia - 21 extra days

Implications of severely delayed employment start dates include understaffed and struggling businesses, backlogs in supply chains, potential hires being lost to other companies, and job seekers falling into debt. 

At an especially fraught economic period, with many people and businesses on the breadline, these delays can have devastating impacts.

Please see ScoutLogic's full data report here: https://www.scoutlogicscreening.com/blog/state-county-processing-time-delays

ScoutLogic's CEO, David Garcia, on why these delays have occurred and the impact of state criminal background check delays for recruiters:

"With courts constantly opening & closing due to COVID-19 infection spikes, it has been very hard for recruiters to plan their on-boarding. Recruiters need to work with a highly-responsive background check company that monitors these court closures on a daily basis. As a minimum, if a recruiter knows the status of the criminal courts that impact a candidate's background check they can work to keep the candidate informed and even hire conditionally."

Please contact [email protected] with any questions about interpreting ScoutLogic's background check processing delay report or for any further information.

SOURCE ScoutLogic