Marlus Coutinho, Senior Vice President, Head of Latin America
Key Takeaways
Why is hiring becoming more complex in LATAM?
Increasing cross-border work, flexible hiring models, and digital processes are making it harder to verify candidate identity and experience across jurisdictions.1
What role does identity verification play today?
Identity verification helps confirm candidates are who they claim to be, establishing trust early and supporting more confident and efficient hiring decisions.
Why are employers focusing more on background screening?
High rates of discrepancies in candidate information are driving employers to adopt stronger screening practices to mitigate risk and improve hiring decisions.1
How are organizations balancing speed and risk?
Employers are integrating screening into hiring workflows to move faster while maintaining confidence in candidate information and mitigating potential risk.
The Evolving Hiring Landscape in Latin America
Hiring across Latin America (LATAM) is evolving rapidly. Organizations are navigating a more digital, mobile, and flexible workforce, while also facing growing pressure to hire quickly and confidently. Yet, as hiring accelerates, so do the risks.
First Advantage’s latest regional insights are drawn from our global workforce trends research, which includes responses from more than 5,000 HR leaders and recent job candidates worldwide.1 Findings highlight that LATAM employers are placing greater emphasis on background screening and identity verification as foundational elements of modern hiring.
For many organizations in the region, these practices are still emerging. This creates an important opportunity not just to adopt screening, but to understand how it supports better hiring outcomes, workforce trust, and compliance with local data protection laws.
Why Screening and Identity Verification Matter
Background screening and identity verification help organizations answer a simple but critical question: Do we truly know who we are hiring? By combining these approaches, employers can build a more reliable view of each candidate:
- Identity verification confirms that a candidate is who they claim to be
- Background screening validates key details such as employment history, education, and credentials
Together, these practices support more informed hiring decisions and help organizations mitigate risk, improve consistency, and create a more transparent hiring experience for candidates. In LATAM, where hiring is becoming increasingly cross-border and digital, these capabilities are becoming essential.
A More Complex Hiring Environment
Several trends are reshaping hiring across the region:
- Global and Cross-Border Hiring Is Increasing
70% of LATAM employers hire offshore workers, and 75% report more candidates with multi-country work histories1 - Flexible Workforce Models Are Expanding
92% of organizations are moving toward gig-friendly or flexible work arrangements1
As a result, verifying identity, employment, and credentials across jurisdictions is more complex than ever. Processes that once worked locally may not scale effectively across borders. Employers are rethinking how they build trust in the hiring process, which involves starting earlier and extending further across the employee lifecycle.
Read the complete 2026 Global Workforce Trends Report
Verification Gaps Are More Common Than Many Expect
The data also highlights a reality that many employers are beginning to confront: discrepancies in candidate information are not rare.
Across LATAM:
- 45% of HR professionals report identity misrepresentation1
- 76% have encountered employment verification gaps1
- 39% have seen fake or redirected references1
- 34% report education or employment inflation1
These findings reinforce the need for stronger verification practices, particularly earlier in the hiring process. Identity verification, when implemented upfront, can help organizations establish a baseline of trust before additional checks are conducted. This improves confidence and also supports faster, more efficient hiring workflows.
Balancing Speed and Risk
One of the most important themes emerging across LATAM is the dual mandate of speed and risk mitigation.
- 37% of LATAM employers rank risk mitigation as the most important aspect of screening1
- 36% prioritize speed in hiring1
At the same time, 82% of organizations are using AI in recruiting or onboarding, accelerating hiring timelines and increasing expectations for efficiency.1
This creates a new dynamic where faster hiring processes require stronger verification controls to keep pace. Organizations that do this well integrate screening and identity verification directly into hiring workflows, helping them move quickly and confidently.
Screening Is Expanding Beyond Pre-Hire
Another key shift is the growing recognition that screening does not stop at the point of hire.
- 77% of LATAM organizations conduct periodic rescreening or continuous monitoring1
- 51% use or plan to use a single screening provider for greater consistency1
Employers are also expanding the scope of their programs, with planned increases in:
- Criminal record searches (55%)1
- Employment and education verification (53%)1
- Identity verification (52%)1
- Post-employment monitoring (50%)1
This reflects a broader shift toward employee lifecycle screening where trust is built and maintained throughout the employee journey, not just at the start.
Workforce trust starts with knowing who you hire.
The Role of Data Protection and Compliance
In LATAM, any discussion of background screening and identity verification must also include data protection and privacy. Countries across the region, including Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia, have implemented or strengthened data protection regulations. These laws govern the collection, processing, and storage of personal data.
For employers, this means:
- Being transparent with candidates about how their data is used
- Obtaining appropriate consent before conducting checks
- Working with providers that understand local regulatory requirements
- Maintaining secure, compliant data handling practices
Modern screening programs must balance verification with privacy to support compliance while still enabling efficient hiring.
What This Means for LATAM Employers
As hiring continues to evolve, several priorities are becoming clear:
- Start with identity
Establish trust early by verifying the candidate’s identity before deeper screening. - Integrate screening into workflows.
Minimize friction and improve speed by embedding screening into hiring systems. - Think beyond pre-hire
Extend screening across the employee lifecycle to support ongoing workforce trust. - Prioritize compliance
Align screening practices with local data protection laws and regional requirements. - Balance experience and efficiency
Deliver faster, more transparent hiring experiences that meet candidate expectations.
Across LATAM, organizations are building more connected, flexible, and global workforces. With that comes greater complexity but also greater opportunity. Background screening and identity verification are no longer just administrative steps. They are becoming critical components of a broader workforce trust strategy to help employers hire with confidence, operate efficiently, and support compliance in an increasingly regulated environment.
Organizations that invest in modern, integrated screening approaches will be better positioned to navigate this complexity and build trusted workforces for the future.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is background screening?
Background screening verifies a candidate’s history, including employment, education, and criminal records, to support more informed hiring decisions and help mitigate risk.
What is identity verification?
Identity verification confirms a candidate is who they claim to be, using data and digital checks to help prevent fraud and establish trust early in the hiring process.
Why is screening important in hiring?
Screening helps employers validate candidate information, mitigate hiring risk, build a more reliable workforce, and support fair, consistent, and transparent hiring practices.
How does screening support compliance?
Screening supports compliance by helping organizations follow local laws, apply consistent processes, and handle candidate data responsibly in line with privacy regulations.
1 2026 Global Workforce Trends, First Advantage
