Businesses worldwide are facing a growing skills gap that threatens their progress and leaves them struggling to prepare for the future. 

According to the Society for Human Resource Management’s (SHRM) fourth Global Worker Project report, around 37% of workers globally reported holding jobs that don’t align with their skills and experience, while 53% said their roles don’t match their education and training. 

Struggling to find the right talent in their own markets, many executives are increasing international hiring. Recent research reflects this: 

• Four out five executives say that finding skilled talent in their existing markets is difficult right now — and nearly three-quarters of them (72%) are ready to look to other countries to meet their talent needs, according to G-P’s (Globalization Partners) World at Work: The Future of Global Employment Report.  
• According to Remote’s 2024 Global Workforce Report, 71% of employers recruited internationally that year. 
• This number is even higher in some markets: In Rippling’s 2025 Australian State of Hiring report, 89% of Australian employers said they planned to hire globally to address skills shortages. 

The rise of remote work has made it easier to find this global talent. But hiring and screening those international hires can still be prohibitively complicated — and legally risky — without the right systems, technology or compliance framework in place. In the Remote report cited above, 43% of employers said they struggled to comply with international labor laws and 51% said it was difficult to manage international teams.  

In this post, we’ll give you best practices for globalizing your hiring and background screening program. 

The challenges of global background screening 

Global background screening creates additional challenges for employers, including:

• Employers need to navigate language barriers and time zone differences when requesting information. 
• Hiring managers need to verify education, past employment and credentials across borders. Besides taking extra time, employers also need to do additional due diligence to confirm that those qualifications effectively carry over to the employer’s country (especially in regulated industries like healthcare)    
• Courts may not grant access to local and national criminal records, or may have different laws regarding the use of that information in employment decisions. 
• Some countries lack digitized records, which makes it more difficult to verify credentials. Consider using multiple verification sources to validate employment history and identity.
• Employers may be subject to additional privacy and employment laws when getting consent for the background checks and collecting the candidate’s personal information. Teams that implement global background screening without proper compliance support may face legal challenges or regulatory fines. 
• If your candidate has questions, or needs to raise a dispute, they may not be able to access support at a convenient time for them. Address this by choosing a background screening provider with 24/7/363 support in the locations where you’re hiring. This way, they can complete screening and move on, no matter where they are or when they’re working. Also look for vendors with global coverage in your candidates’ languages. 

3 ways employers can navigate global challenges

Anticipate cultural differences with new hires

Even the most talented and experienced candidates will need to learn your company’s culture and your management style. It is imperative to be patient with new hires as they adapt to new teammates and cultural conventions, and employers can take a proactive approach to making the transition to a U.S.-based workplace as smooth as possible. Here are a few ways:

• Avoid creating language barriers with slang and regional vernacular
• Be sensitive regarding time-bound requests by factoring in time zone differences
• Don’t assume every individual observes the same holidays and cultural hallmarks that U.S.-based employees do
• Be prepared for and educated about differences in international regulations regarding education verification, employment verification, and what credit information is acceptable for use in the hiring process.

Understand the differences between global and domestic hiring

Hiring outside of the United States comes with distinctive requirements and regulations employers need to be mindful of. The pre-employment background screening process, specifically, is going to be different from that in the U.S. According to Kevin Coy, a privacy law partner at Arnall Golden Gregory LLP and an expert in General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliance, hiring globally opens the door to a diverse set of legal and cultural issues employers need to manage, and an effective strategy in one situation may not be applicable in the next. Employers need to be agile and prepared to modify their screening process for different jurisdictions.

“A one-size-fits-all approach to global screening simply may not work,” says Coy. “There is a potentially complex range of choices where it’s not all cut-and-dry. For a screener and employer here in the U.S. there is certainly the potential for variation amongst state and local law as to variations in the consumer reporting process or fair chance hiring rules. So, we do get some flavor of that because of the U.S. federal system. But when you look at it internationally, it becomes a much more complex puzzle.”

When hiring in the European Union (EU), for example, organizations must be cognizant of GDPR, which is the main privacy law of the 27 member states of the EU and the three countries in the European Economic Area (EEA), as well as each country’s employment laws. Any employer hiring in the EU must comply with GDPR.

Coy recommends organizations consider using third-party service providers, including SaaS providers, to help with record keeping and data mapping exercises. These efforts can help organizations understand whether their data is GDPR regulated and ensure compliance. Coy also recommends that employers consult with their legal counsel to account for any recent changes in an often shifting area of regulation.

“There’s not a silver bullet for GDPR compliance, but it is important for organizations to understand how GDPR applies to them — whether they are directly subject to GDPR or indirectly subject to pieces of it through contractual obligations,” says Coy

Use screening technology customized for your international screening business needs

Background screening is a critical step in the hiring process both within and outside the United States. Having a technology solution that makes it easier to manage the complex regulatory environment of global hiring is a must. Pre-hire screening mitigates the risks associated with hiring individuals who may have falsified their employment and/or educational credentials, or who may have a previously unknown criminal record, thereby protecting your business, and current employees. Leveraging technology that streamlines this process on a single platform and customizes its services for your organization, sets your business apart from the competition.

Accurate simplifies the world’s most complex screening needs for global employers. Our platform is proven at scale—battle-tested by the Fortune 500. We power screening success across borders from Los Angeles to Mumbai and across business lines from healthcare to retail. Our team of experts simplifies complex screening using our deep knowledge of global regulations, cultural nuances and best practices. With a footprint spanning 240+ countries and territories, we deliver simplicity on a global scale, with uncompromising security.

Contact us today to talk about your global screening needs and start building the best background screening program for your business.