Recruiting in China

The head of a human resources market research company in China has called for companies, based throughout the nation, to strengthen integrity management processes in China's job market, as well as encouraged government officials to improve relevant laws and regulations.

Tian Yongpo, from the Chinese Academy of Personnel Science, said "integrity at work is even more important in such an era with explosive information about jobs", and added for example the mobility of Chinese labor forces gradually increased from 2010 to 2014.

Tian said, at a forum held by people.com.cn in Beijing on Wednesday, China's floating population grew 12.65 percent, moving from 221 million to 253 million people, from 2010 to 2014.

"Huge information about jobs have accumulated during the process," he said.

"Among explosive information, a problem will certainly arise about information transfer and distortion.

"As a result, our credibility at work is greatly influenced."

His comments came shortly before a survey, published at the forum, which stated more than 80 percent of respondents said the credibility of Chinese workplaces were poor.

The survey collected information from more than 6000 people, as well as 3000 human resources managers, and was carried out by a website that helps companies investigate personal information, 17zhiliao.com, between March 10 and April 10, 2017.

More than half of the respondents to the survey believed dishonest behavior had resulted in a loss to companies and individuals.

Guo Wenlong, the deputy head for Labor Law Studies of Shanghai Law Society, said the "call for a law is natural since one could not get all the information he needs to (determine if a person in focus is credible or not)."

Guo went on to mention authority figures should improve laws and regulations on the non-competition agreement in the labor law, as the occasional employee has operated in a grey area to avoid company requirements and restrictions.

HR managers listed the worst behavior as missing job interviews, slacking off at work and even job-hopping.

Individuals overstating work performance and experience, as well as falsifying their educational background, were recorded as the most common dishonest behaviors to be seen.

To avoid hiring these types of candidates, 97 percent of HR mangers believed it was necessary to investigate the information job seekers' provided during the early stages of recruitment.

More than 90 percent of job seekers agreed to the necessity of a background check; however, most people believed companies should seek the candidate's approval before undertaking their enquiries.

Li Aijun, a law professor with the China University of Political Science and Law, urged companies to follow China's rules, regulations and laws while undertaking investigations into personal information.

She cautioned the act of obtaining sickness records, property information and particular criminal history records, as these acts could become illegal after a certain point.