Powerchex survey finds one in 20 job applicants for temporary financial services posts have a criminal record

Nine in 10 undisclosed criminal records discovered in City job applications are held by people going for temporary positions, research has revealed.

Pre-employment screening firm Powerchex analysed almost 3,000 job applications for financial services positions over the past 12 months.

It found that more than 1 in 20 applicants had a criminal record – and that nearly all of them were applying for a temporary position.

“Most financial firms have become good at screening their top employees,” said Powerchex managing director Alexandra Kelly.

“But an army of unchecked workers are potentially inside the nation’s banks and financial institutions. As our findings show, potential fraudsters are more likely to come in as temps.”