According to the March 2011 ADP National Employment Report®, employment in the private-sector increased by 201,000 jobs from February to March, a figure similar to the expectatations for the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) jobs report to be released April 1, 2011.

The March 2011 ADP Report shows private-sector employment accelerated heading into 2011, as the average monthly increase in employment December through March of 211,000 jobs was nearly three times the average monthly gain of 74,000 jobs August through November. (more…)

A new report from Verifile Limited, Europe’s leading background screening company, has revealed an astounding 48 percent increase worldwide in the number of known fake diploma mills – which the report described as “largely online entities whose degrees are worthless due to the lack of valid accreditation and recognition” – in the past year.

According to the second annual Accredibase™ Report for 2011, the United States was the world’s fake college capital and saw a 20 percent increase in known diploma mills with the number rising from 810 to 1,008. The report also found more than 40 percent of U.S. diploma mills operate in four states: California, Hawaii, Washington, and Florida. (more…)

According to a story that reflects a parent’s nightmare – ‘Mom says background checks are needed for college RAs’ – a mother in Tennessee wants a law that would require background checks on college resident assistants (RAs) after a University of Tennessee at (UT) Chattanooga student and former RA at the university was accused of placing surveillance cameras hidden in alarm clocks in the dorm rooms of her daughter and several other students. Police arrested the student – who was previously convicted on charges that included burglary, arson, harassment, and stalking – on more than a dozen charges. (more…)

Attorney and safe hiring expert Lester Rosen, President of San Francisco, California-area background check provider Employment Screening Resources (ESR), will present an educational session – ‘The Top Ten Trends for Background Checks in 2011 – What Every Employer Needs to Know’ – at the 2011 Los Angeles HR Star Conference held at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California on March 30, 2011. The session will review the top trends, best practices, and legal developments for background checks. (more…)

For job seekers with criminal records, looking for work can be a frustrating case of “Catch-22” since most job applications ask about criminal convictions and the majority of employers run criminal background checks on job applicants. If job seekers are honest and admit their past criminal records, they risk not getting the job. If they lie, they risk of being terminated if their criminal pasts are discovered.

Employment Screening Resources (ESR), a San Francisco, California-area background check provider formally Accredited by The National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS®), is offering six critical steps for job seekers with criminal records to follow to help them find employment as they attempt to re-enter the workforce. The guidance is in response to a new study from the National Employment Law Project (NELP) that recommends reforming criminal background checks used for the screening of job seekers since nearly 65 million people – more than one in four U.S. adults – have criminal records that may prevent them from finding work. (more…)