AuthBridge Workforce Fraud Files H1 FY26: 5% Hiring Discrepancies Across White-Collar and Gig Workforce in India
The AuthBridge Workforce Fraud Files – H1 FY26 reveal continued hiring discrepancies across India’s evolving workforce. White-Collar reported a 4.33% discrepancy rate, while gig-workers reported a 5.6% discrepancy rate in background verification.
AuthBridge’s latest Workforce Fraud Files 2025, featured by ANI, highlights the rising challenge of misrepresentation in India’s workforce. The report found a 6% discrepancy rate among white-collar hires and 4% among gig workers, exposing risks from inflated resumes and fake degrees to moonlighting and impersonation in delivery roles.
With pharma, BFSI, telecom, and IT/ITES sectors showing some of the highest discrepancy rates, the report stresses the urgent need for instant and ongoing verification models tailored to specific roles and risks.
New Delhi, February 16, 2026: AuthBridge, India’s leading trust and authentication technology company, today released the Workforce Fraud Files – H1 FY26, its half-yearly report analysing background verification trends across India’s workforce. The report highlights that hiring discrepancies persist across both traditional white-collar roles and the on-demand workforce, even as recruitment processes become increasingly digital.
The report recorded an overall discrepancy rate of 4.33% among white-collar employees during the first half of FY26. The on-demand ecosystem (ODE) exhibited a comparatively higher discrepancy rate of 5.61%, indicating elevated verification risks in flexible and operational roles.
These findings are based on AuthBridge’s background verification data captured during H1 FY26 and span checks across identity, address, employment history, education, criminal records, and CV validation.
Commenting on the partnership, Mr Ajay Trehan, CEO and Founder of AuthBridge, said,
“The H1 FY26 Workforce Fraud Files clearly show that hiring-related discrepancies remain a persistent and structural challenge. Despite faster and more digitised hiring workflows, we continue to see gaps in fundamental checks such as employment history, address, and education. These are not minor inconsistencies; they have direct implications for organisational risk, compliance, and trust. The data reinforces the need for organisations to embed background verification deeply into their hiring and workforce management strategies, rather than treating it as a one-time or post-hiring formality.”
Among white-collar hires, employment verification emerged as the most impacted check, with a discrepancy rate of 11.15%, followed by address verification at 7.68%. Education checks recorded discrepancies of 4.49%, while reference checks stood at 4.17%. Although lower, discrepancies related to drug screening (1.87%) and criminal record checks (0.50%) were also observed.
The on-demand workforce showed higher vulnerability across specific checks. Address verification discrepancies were recorded at 9.70%, while identity (NID) discrepancies stood at 2.53%. Criminal record check discrepancies in the on-demand economy (ODE) were observed at 2.23%, highlighting the importance of strong verification frameworks for roles involving customer interaction and field operations.
An industry-wise analysis revealed that address discrepancies were prevalent across IT (12.02%), Banking & BFSI (10.23%), Pharma (11.21%), Retail (10.64%), and Telecom (15.42%). Employment verification discrepancies remained significant across Retail (16.37%), Telecom (14.32%), Banking & BFSI (13.00%), and Pharma (12.10%).
Education-related discrepancies were particularly notable in Retail (9.16%) and Telecom (7.80%), while CV validation discrepancies were observed in IT (12.80%) and Banking & BFSI (2.91%), indicating inconsistencies between submitted resumes and verified information.
While criminal record and identity-related discrepancies remained relatively low across industries, their continued presence points to the need for consistent, standardised, and role-specific background verification practices, especially in regulated and customer-facing sectors.
As organisations adapt to evolving workforce models, AuthBridge continues to strengthen its technology-led trust infrastructure. We recommend initiating screening before the offer stage by completing basic checks early so hiring teams are not forced to restart the process if a candidate fails verification after joining. Beyond this, a one-time background check is rarely sufficient to manage long-term risk. Periodic screening, including drug testing, court record checks, and lifestyle risk assessments, should be conducted at regular intervals as part of ongoing monitoring. Solutions such as AuthNumber, the company’s consent-driven digital credential platform, enable organisations to securely verify, store, and reuse authenticated credentials, including identity, employment, and education, across hiring cycles. This reduces duplication, onboarding friction, and long-term verification blind spots. Additionally, AuthLead, AuthBridge’s leadership due diligence framework, supports deeper, high-rigour verification for senior and critical roles where discrepancies can carry heightened strategic, regulatory, and reputational risk.
The Workforce Fraud Files – H1 FY26 reiterates the importance of structured, future-ready background verification as hiring volumes grow and workforce compositions diversify. As organisations balance speed with scale, trust, accuracy, and diligence remain central to building resilient, compliant, and credible workforces.
About AuthBridge
For over 20 years, AuthBridge has been a leader in identity management, onboarding & verification, and business intelligence. Its future-ready, AI-powered technology and alternative data analytics solutions serve more than 3,000 clients across 30+ industries, covering 140+ countries and serving clients ranging from Fortune 500 giants to India’s fastest-growing unicorns, ensuring secure and seamless operations worldwide.
For more information, visit: AuthBridge Website
