Construction industry warned of employee fraud

Companies in the construction sector have been warned to pay greater attention to the credentials of their employees as research reveals the industry suffers a significantly high risk of staff fraud.

According to business reference company Datapol Group, the high rate of employee turnover in the construction industry – around 24 per cent - leaves the sector open to fraudulent individuals who will disguise or inflate key details on their job applications.

Across all aspects of the industry, over a quarter of staff who leave their jobs have not been with the organisation for more than six months – and a similar number of leavers have been with the company for less than two years.

Terry Brown, Managing Director of Datapol said: "The cost of labour turnover is £3,546 per employee and employers are quick to try to fill their vacancies. However, in their eagerness to do this, many employers are not screening job applications adequately enough which means that a number of unsuitable candidates are being offered jobs.

"This is costing British employers millions of pounds a year through staff fraud, much of which can be avoided."

Datapol advise construction firms to be stringent in their evaluation of potential employees, and suggest several simple screening tests be carried out before the individual is offered a job.

These include following up on references, ascertaining the validity of qualifications, checking with the Department of Social Security if periods of unemployment appear on the CV, and to carry out credit checks, depending on the job vacancy.

(CL)