Comprehensive Guide to Employment Background Checks in Bangladesh
Everyday, Veremark carries out background screening all over the world for companies who need checked and verified employees. If you’re looking for background checks in Bangladesh, here’s some information that might help.
As Bangladesh continues to develop into a regional economic powerhouse, companies are increasingly prioritising the quality and trustworthiness of their workforce. Employment background checks have become an integral part of the recruitment process, helping businesses in Bangladesh verify candidate credentials, maintain workplace integrity, and comply with local regulations. This guide offers an in-depth look at employment background checks in Bangladesh, covering legal requirements, types of checks, privacy considerations, and best practices.
Introduction to Bangladesh's Growing Economy and Workforce
Bangladesh has seen impressive economic growth over the past decade, particularly in sectors like textiles, information technology, manufacturing, and financial services. As the economy expands, so does the need for skilled and reliable employees. Employers are now relying on thorough background checks to ensure that they are hiring qualified candidates who can contribute to their company's growth and uphold its values
Legal Framework and Data Protection
In Bangladesh, employment background checks must be conducted in line with local laws that safeguard personal privacy and data protection. While the country does not have a data protection law as robust as the European Union’s GDPR, employers are still required to adhere to ethical standards when handling personal data. Consent is a key aspect of conducting background checks, and employers must ensure that they have explicit permission from candidates before obtaining or processing their information .
Key Legal Considerations:
- Consent: Employers must obtain written consent from candidates before initiating any background checks.
- Data Handling: Employers should ensure that any personal data collected during the screening process is stored securely and used only for its intended purpose.
- Local Laws: While Bangladesh has not fully implemented comprehensive data protection laws, employers are still encouraged to follow best practices for privacy and data protection .
Common Background Checks in Bangladesh
A criminal background check is one of the most critical components of pre-employment screening in Bangladesh. This check helps ensure that candidates do not have any past criminal activities that could pose a risk to the company or its employees. Criminal records can be sourced through local authorities or specialised background check providers.
Employment history verification is essential to confirm that a candidate’s work experience matches the information provided on their CV. Employers in Bangladesh typically verify past employment dates, job titles, and reasons for leaving previous roles. This check is particularly important for senior and specialised roles.
Ensuring that candidates hold valid academic qualifications is another common practice in Bangladesh, especially in industries like IT, engineering, and finance. Employers may verify degrees, certificates, and any other academic credentials directly with the issuing institutions.
In Bangladesh, global watchlist checks are used to screen candidates against international sanctions lists, anti-money laundering (AML) databases, and terrorism watchlists. This is particularly important for businesses involved in financial transactions or international trade, ensuring compliance with international regulatory standards.
Seamless integration with existing hiring software
Plug our award-winning background screening software into your existing hiring workflows with Veremark's super-fast RESTful API.
Privacy and Data Security
Although Bangladesh does not yet have an extensive data protection framework, employers are advised to adopt best practices when handling candidate data. This includes:
- Obtaining Consent: Always ensure that candidates are informed and give explicit permission before their data is processed.
- Data Security: Use encrypted systems to protect sensitive information and limit access to authorised personnel.
- Data Minimisation: Collect only the data that is strictly necessary for the background check and discard it once it is no longer needed
Turnaround times
Industries Benefiting from Background Checks in Bangladesh
Textile and Manufacturing
Given the size of the workforce and the safety concerns in these industries, background checks help verify that workers have the necessary qualifications and adhere to industry standards.
Financial Services
As financial services in Bangladesh become more sophisticated, ensuring that employees have clean criminal records and are not listed on any global watchlists is essential for maintaining regulatory compliance.
Information Technology (IT)
The IT sector relies heavily on education and employment verifications to ensure candidates have the necessary technical skills and experience.
Best Practices for Employers
To ensure a smooth and compliant background check process, employers in Bangladesh should adhere to the following best practices:
- Secure Candidate Consent: Obtain clear and informed consent before initiating any background checks.
- Partner with Reputable Providers: Use reliable background check services familiar with both local and international compliance requirements.
- Tailor Checks to Role Requirements: Customise background checks based on the specific needs of each role, focusing on criminal records for security roles and education verification for technical positions.
- Ensure Data Security: Follow best practices for data protection, even in the absence of stringent local laws
How it works
Data protection by design
Vault-like security with ISO and SOC2 certification
Employment background checks in Bangladesh are becoming an integral part of the hiring process as businesses look to secure skilled, trustworthy talent. By following local legal guidelines, adopting best practices for data protection, and tailoring checks to the needs of specific roles, employers can build a stronger, more compliant workforce. As Bangladesh continues to grow its economy, businesses that prioritise thorough background screening will be well-positioned to succeed
Read more
FAQs
This depends on the industry and type of role you are recruiting for. To determine whether you need reference checks, identity checks, bankruptcy checks, civil background checks, credit checks for employment or any of the other background checks we offer, chat to our team of dedicated account managers.
Many industries have compliance-related employment check requirements. And even if your industry doesn’t, remember that your staff have access to assets and data that must be protected. When you employ a new staff member you need to be certain that they have the best interests of your business at heart. Carrying out comprehensive background checking helps mitigate risk and ensures a safer hiring decision.
Again, this depends on the type of checks you need. Simple identity checks can be carried out in as little as a few hours but a worldwide criminal background check for instance might take several weeks. A simple pre-employment check package takes around a week. Our account managers are specialists and can provide detailed information into which checks you need and how long they will take.
All Veremark checks are carried out online and digitally. This eliminates the need to collect, store and manage paper documents and information making the process faster, more efficient and ensures complete safety of candidate data and documents.
In a competitive marketplace, making the right hiring decisions is key to the success of your company. Employment background checks enables you to understand more about your candidates before making crucial decisions which can have either beneficial or catastrophic effects on your business.
Background checks not only provide useful insights into a candidate’s work history, skills and education, but they can also offer richer detail into someone’s personality and character traits. This gives you a huge advantage when considering who to hire. Background checking also ensures that candidates are legally allowed to carry out certain roles, failed criminal and credit checks could prevent them from working with vulnerable people or in a financial function.
Transform your hiring process
Request a discovery session with one of our background screening experts today.