5 Workforce Trends Reshaping 2026

Hiring has always been about trust. Employers need confidence that candidates are who they claim to be. At the same time, job seekers want assurance that the organizations they apply to are legitimate, transparent, and responsible stewards of their personal information. 

Today, that trust is evolving. The 2026 Global Workforce Trends Report, based on insights from more than 2,100 hiring leaders and CHROs and 3,200 recent job candidates across five global regions, reveals how rapidly evolving work models, identity risks, and new technologies are reshaping how organizations approach hiring and beyond. 

The findings point to a clear shift that background screening and identity verification are no longer viewed simply as compliance requirements. Instead, they are becoming strategic tools that enable organizations to hire confidently while maintaining speed and a strong candidate experience. 

Here are five trends shaping workforce trust in 2026. 

1. With identity fraud rising, employers are expanding identity verification 

Identity fraud, credential inflation, and fabricated work histories are becoming more common across industries and geographies. 

According to the research, 76 percent of hiring professionals report experiencing falsified employment details, and 45 percent have encountered candidate identity misrepresentation. These challenges range from exaggerated qualifications to more sophisticated identity manipulation. 

As a result, employers are strengthening identity verification processes and expanding the scope of background screening. Nearly nine in 10 organizations plan to add additional background screening or identity verification solutions within the next two years. The broader realization is that identity verification risks are no longer isolated events. They are increasingly systemic in a global, digital hiring environment. 

Rather than relying on a limited set of pre-hire checks, organizations are building layered approaches that combine early identity verification with more robust background screening. 

2. Risk mitigation and speed are now dual mandates 

Traditionally, hiring leaders viewed risk mitigation and hiring speed as competing priorities. Slower processes were often the price of thorough verification. 

That mindset is changing. In the study, risk mitigation ranked as the most important component of background screening across all industries and regions, but speed was close behind. Both hiring managers and recent job candidates consistently cited delays as one of the most frustrating aspects of the hiring process. 

Organizations are responding by investing in tools and infrastructure that enable them to deliver both. In fact, 57 percent of hiring leaders expect their screening processes to become more automated and integrated within the next two years. 

Hiring leaders are no longer choosing between protection and performance. Instead, competitive organizations are designing processes that mitigate risk while maintaining hiring momentum. 

3. As AI speeds up hiring, identity verification and screening become essential

Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming the recruiting process. From resume screening to candidate sourcing and onboarding workflows, AI is enabling organizations to process applications faster and manage growing volumes of candidates. 

But increased speed and automation also introduce new challenges. As AI tools become more common, both employers and job seekers are placing greater emphasis on verification, transparency, and trust. Employers need to be aware that accelerated workflows can create blind spots to identity manipulation or misrepresentation. 

The research shows that AI adoption across recruiting and onboarding workflows continues to grow, reinforcing the need for identity verification strategies that can keep pace with faster hiring cycles. 

In this environment, identity verification is becoming foundational to maintaining workforce confidence. Organizations must match hiring acceleration with equally strong verification and screening standards. 

4. Global and flexible workforces are changing screening strategies

Work itself is becoming more complex. More than 60 percent of global employers report an increase in candidates with multi-country or multi-location work histories, reflecting the growing mobility of today’s workforce. At the same time, organizations are expanding flexible and gig-friendly employment models to meet changing workforce expectations. 

These shifts introduce new layers of complexity for hiring teams. Verifying employment histories across jurisdictions, coordinating multiple hiring stakeholders, and maintaining consistent standards across distributed teams requires greater operational coordination. In fact, the study found that 79 percent of background screenings involve three or more stakeholders in the hiring process. 

To manage this growing complexity, many organizations are prioritizing operational simplicity. Most employers report using a single screening provider or plan to consolidate vendors within the next three years, enabling them to maintain consistency and visibility across global hiring programs. 

5. Background screening is expanding beyond pre-hire

Perhaps the most significant shift emerging from the research is the growing recognition that workforce trust does not begin and end at the hiring stage. Risk does not disappear once a candidate becomes an employee. Changes in role responsibilities, regulatory requirements, and workforce mobility all create new circumstances that may require verification. 

As a result, many organizations are expanding screening strategies across the entire employee lifecycle. The research found that 82 percent of CHROs surveyed already conduct continuous monitoring or periodic rescreening as part of their workforce strategy, with most remaining organizations planning to implement similar practices within the next two years. 

This evolution reflects a broader shift from point-in-time identity verification and traditional pre-hire background screening to ongoing workforce trust management. Rather than treating background screening as a discrete step in hiring, organizations are embedding it into broader workforce governance frameworks that extend from pre-hire through onboarding and beyond to build workforce trust throughout their organizations. 

Building workforce trust in a changing hiring landscape

Taken together, these trends highlight a significant shift in how organizations approach hiring and ongoing workforce management. Fraud risks are increasing. Workforces are becoming more global and flexible. AI is accelerating recruiting workflows. And hiring speed continues to shape competitive advantage. 

In response, organizations are redesigning background screening and identity verification strategies to operate within a broader workforce trust framework. That framework prioritizes: 

• Designing hiring processes that support both risk mitigation and speed 
• Expanding background screening and workforce monitoring across the entire employee lifecycle 
• Simplifying hiring infrastructure through integration and consolidation 
• Strengthening identity verification as a foundational element of workforce trust 
• Delivering screening experiences that reinforce candidate confidence 

Ultimately, trust in hiring cannot be assumed. In a world defined by global mobility, digital identity, and accelerating technology, organizations must intentionally build trust into every stage of the employee lifecycle. 

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