When very low unemployment arrives and the number of job candidates available thins out, this is the time to be extra diligent with your Michigan employee screening.
Yes, ultra-low unemployment is good for the workforce and helps to lift the economy overall. For employers in Warren, Grand Rapids, Novi and elsewhere in metro-Detroit, it also thins out the number of candidates available and makes hiring a bit more challenging. In Detroit, the job market is off the hook with high demand in nearly every sector. Unfortunately, when the labor market in Michigan tightens, more bad apples get into the barrel. When scarcity arrives, some Michigan employers looking to fill positions at a certain labor cost will begin to lower their standards or to back off on Michigan employee screening. This can lead to big trouble! 
First off, any employer who elects to stop conducting Michigan employee screening on their applicants due to a tight labor market is crazy. Hire standards should not be lowered just to fill a spot. Not only does this place your company, co-workers and clients at additional risk, you also greatly increase the risk that you waste time and money on-boarding and training an employee who simply will never workout as a good, value adding employee.
Secondly, when the labor is scarce, MORE unqualified applicants than ever will be applying for your jobs. This is actually the time when you should be the most diligent with your Michigan employee screening and when your risk of a making a bad hire is the greatest! Beyond the loss of time and money associated with a bad hire, consistency in your background checks and consistent treatment of each class of employee is essential for both compliance and liability management purposes. This holds true for large and small Michigan employers alike.
If you need help in learning more about working with an agency that provides real value adding Michigan employee screening services or need advise on where to begin in the employee background check arena, give us a call. The consultation is free. No strings attached. And remember, not only are we a leader in Michigan employee screening services, we have no contracts, no volume minimums or other tricks that many Michigan employee screening firms do.