The Price To Pay For Employing Illegal Workers
In mid-2008, statistics on the BBC news website reported a disturbing trend on the issue of illegal workers.
They stated that: "In the two months since the end of February, when there was a change in the law, 137 businesses were caught employing illegal immigrants. This is ten times the number caught in 2007, and more than double the number prosecuted in the previous decade."
Businesses and organisations who are caught employing illegal workers stand to get fined up to £10,000 for each person they are caught employing. This is irrespective of whether they employed the person knowing they were an illegal worker or not. Persistent offenders are also at risk of getting a prison sentence, thus making measures such as background checks an essential consideration.
Why would a business knowingly employ an illegal worker? The simple reason is that those employers can pay them less. This has terrible repercussions for many reasons: wages are driven down, employees are often exploited and local workers become resentful, blaming others for the loss of work.
Pre-employment screening is an invaluable tool for employers who are at risk of innocently employing illegal workers. The checks involved include passport checks such as a passport number check, to ensure that the applicant is who they say they are and is able to work in the country.
This type of employment screening is also suitable for cross-checking identity.
While identity fraud made not be a matter of concern for an employer who manages a small high street retail outlet, the manager of a pharmacy may need extra assurance of their prospective employee's identity and history.
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