The Better Hiring Institute believes that work seekers should be better protected - in particular they should be treated fairly and with respect, should not be discriminated against, deserve to have a human decision on suitability of their application, and better protected from scams.

The TUC and legal experts have warned that “huge gaps” in British law over the use of AI at work could lead to “widespread” discrimination and unfair treatment at work.

A new report - carried out for the TUC by leading employment rights lawyers – says that employment law is failing to keep pace with the rapid expansion of AI at work.

The report says unless urgent new legal protections are put in place, workers will become increasingly vulnerable and powerless to challenge “inhuman” forms of AI performance management.

The UK Identity Fraud Advisory (UKIFA)

The UK Identity Fraud Advisory (UKIFA) exists to protect individuals from identity fraud and to help business identity fake identity documents.

As part of the recruitment process, organisations collect copies of original documents to verify candidate details such as identity and proof of address. There are many fake documents in circulation and websites offering to create fake documents, therefore vigilance is required. An excellent source of free help and advice for organisations is The UK Identity Fraud Advisory (UKIFA), for more information visit www.ukifa.co.uk

If you are using an employee screening company it is worth ensuring they are using UKIFA on your behalf.

JobsAware

JobsAware, run by SAFERjobs a community interest company with cross-government and law enforcement support, is the number 1 platform for help and advice for non-permanent workers, hirers, and those involved in the supply chain.

JobsAware provides free help and advice and a reporting function for people to check the validity of job adverts, to ask questions or concerns, or to report abuse, exploitation, or criminality in the supply chain.

SAFERjobs’ worker-led intelligence is used by UK Government and law enforcement to improve compliance within the labour market and act against the worst abuses in recruitment. This worker-led intelligence also helps inform future policy decisions with the aim of improving the experience for workers and protecting their rights.

Working with JobsAware

Organisations should promote JobsAware on their career pages and request their recruitment agencies do the same. This provides reassurance to work seekers and enables workers who have concerns to report these confidentially.

If you ever have concerns about fake job adverts on behalf of your organisation or recruitment agencies advertising roles at your organisation without permission, these examples can all be reported to JobsAware. On an average day JobsAware receives between 10-15 reports about issues relating to recruitment.

By using JobsAware it improves supply chain transparency and helps protect workers who are engaging with recruitment agencies. This helps strengthen policies against modern slavery in supply chains.

The Impact of JobsAware

JobsAware, and SAFERjobs, have appeared in the first 3 UK Government annual labour market strategies as a key organisation fighting inequality in the labour market. The reports that JobsAware receives are used to remove fake job adverts online, tackle fake or illegal recruitment businesses, inform police investigations, and aid the regulator by sharing key intelligence about the sector and individual companies. The regulator for the recruitment sector has long viewed JobsAware as a vital source of intelligence. 

The purpose of JobsAware is to protect work seekers, champion worker rights, and protect organisations using supply chains.

Acas

Focussing more on permanent employees. Acas gives employees and employers free, impartial advice on workplace rights, rules, and best practice.

Resources

Campaign updates

On 10th May 2021 The Government issued a press release warning over job scams, as almost three in four job seekers (74%) report applying for jobs that don't exist during COVID.

Fake jobs can give scammers access to all your personal details, which can be used in a number of ways by criminals, including identity theft.

The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) is running a campaign to raise awareness of job scams and employment fraud among job seekers. DBS is working alongside JobsAware, Disclosure Scotland and AccessNI. Our very own Advisory Board members - Executive Director of Barring and Safeguarding at DBS Dr Suzanne Smith and Chair of JobsAware Keith Rosser are helping in raising awareness and providing important information and advice.

A new GOV UK page, JobsAware platform, and social media campaign will be helping to advise people of the risks inherent in job searching. You can view the page here.