Ukraine, an Eastern European country, is one of the prime destinations for international businesses, with affordable tax rates, plentiful employment opportunities, and a strategic position near manufacturing giants. Often touted as the “breadbasket of Europe,” Ukraine has positioned itself internationally amongst the top agricultural producers. Furthermore, being in the vicinity of similar manufacturing countries, businesses can leverage cheap goods with minimal transportation costs in every industry.
The simplified tax system, commonly known as the “inner Ukranian offshore,” adds more value for companies due to extremely low corporate tax rates for income under 5 million UAH. According to the latest mandates placed by the Ukrainian government in 2023, the minimum wage is approximately USD183 per month, highlighting affordable employment.
The availability of several lucrative benefits has attracted the attention of foreign employers. However, with the rise of job opportunities, companies have witnessed discrepancies in job applications. The government has introduced strict laws to conduct employee searches successfully.
As a result, employers are expected to follow specific protocols while conducting an HR background check in Ukraine. This article breaks down all the crucial restrictions and protocols every employer must know before conducting a pre-employment background check in Ukraine.
What is Employment Background Verification?
An employee background check is a process used by hiring companies to validate the information provided by an applicant. Confirming a candidate’s education and professional qualification are two primary pillars of a background check. However, employers might need to perform more comprehensive checks encompassing criminal and medical records and more for specific jobs.
While conducting an HR background check in Ukraine, an employer must ensure all the information should originate from the subject or candidate. Furthermore, due to data protection laws, employers must notify and gain the applicant’s acknowledgment before initiating a pre-employment background check in Ukraine.
Benefits of Background Checks in Ukraine
Affordable employment is one of the critical headliners for international employers. However, as an international business hiring in a foreign land, conducting a pre-employment background check in Ukraine is imperative for the following reasons.
Overridden data
- Employers are likely to get many applicants for a single job posting, thus highlighting a massive demand for jobs.
- Due to the cut-throat competition, many candidates can resort to data tampering to increase their chances of securing a job.
- Conducting a pre-employment background check in Ukraine can allow employers to identify such attempts and take the necessary steps.
Enhancing team culture
- Collective team effort allows companies to reach KPIs faster with more efficiency.
- Hiring an employee with outstanding professional accomplishments is highly lucrative, but they should positively impact the team.
- Employers who determine a candidate’s personality through social media are likelier to build an efficient and positive-minded team.
Reducing liability
- International companies are accountable for their employee’s conduct outside the workplace.
- Companies can reduce such liabilities by screening out high-risk candidates with proven criminal records.
- Conducting a criminal background check in Ukraine allows employers to identify such candidates and take the necessary actions.
Decreased employee turnover
- Employees tend to revel in a great team setting by building meaningful connections.
- Companies can lower employee turnover with a positive work culture and hire suitable candidates.
- It saves companies from the burden of conducting a recruitment drive and all the subsequent micro-processes and helps them retain great talent.
Are Background Checks Legal in Ukraine?
Employees can conduct a pre-employment background check in Ukraine, but the process is quite restrictive, with several laws and provisions in place. The governing laws are as follows.
- Personal Data Protection No 2297-VI, 1st June 2010, commonly known as the PDP
- Ukrainian labor laws
The mentioned laws impose strict restrictions on how much information an employer can process. As a result, an employing company is limited in data collection.
Collection and processing of personal data should be carried out with the candidate’s explicit permission. However, based on the mandatory hiring obligations for a particular post, an employer can conduct a more comprehensive HR background check in Ukraine.
Things to Know When Performing a Background Check in Ukraine
Hiring employees in a foreign land with several lucrative benefits can be quite rewarding in terms of company growth. However, following through with all the micro-processes involved in a background check in Ukraine is crucial to gain the assumed leverage.
Employment history
- A hiring company can contact previous employers to the listed references to verify an applicant’s claim.
- Instances such as false experiences can be identified using the mentioned check.
Education history
- Verifying an applicant’s educational qualification is essential regardless of the experience they might bring to the table.
- Employers can speak with references in the listed educational institutions to verify a candidate’s claim.
- Conducting a check allows employers to identify forged certificates and tampered data.
Criminal record
- Companies can conduct a criminal background check in Ukraine with an applicant’s explicit consent.
- Employers get a police certificate from the Ministry of Internal Affairs with authorization from the administration head.
- Such records can help an employer screen out high-risk employees, as companies are held liable for their employee’s actions.
Credit report
- A credit report can be used as an indicator to understand an applicant’s efficacy in finance management.
- It serves as a real-world example and can be used by employers when hiring for jobs where employees must manage finances and assets.
Social life
- Understanding a candidate’s personality is crucial for employers looking to build an efficient team of positive-minded employees.
- Hiring companies are prohibited from discriminating against candidates based on their political views. However, employers can screen applicants with unfit personalities.
Information Essential for a Background Check in Ukraine
According to the governing laws, employers looking to conduct a pre-employment background check in Ukraine must get all the information from the candidate. Therefore, as a general rule, employers can only conduct an HR background check in Ukraine based on the provided information.
While most of the required information to carry out the process is provided by an applicant, employers must ensure they have access to the data below.
- Applicant’s consent
- Applicant’s full name
- University and school names, supporting evidence such as degree certificates, attendance years, reference contact, and name for verifying education
- Company names, served roles, resignation letter, experience letter, letter of recommendation, employment tenure, dates of employment, reference name, and contact to conduct a company background check in Ukraine.
Process Involved in Background Checks in Ukraine
Companies looking to perform an HR background check in Ukraine can do a manual check or hire a partner agency. During a manual pre-employment background check in Ukraine, employers must follow the mentioned steps to initiate and complete such checks in record time.
Gaining acknowledgment
- Employers must notify a candidate before conducting an HR background check in Ukraine.
- Post notification, the hiring company must also acquire the candidate’s consent to conduct the said check.
Requirement identification
- Several data protection laws moderate a pre-employment background check in Ukraine.
- Employers must contact several authorities and follow unique protocols to gain access to the required information.
- Listing out the requirements for certain checks allows employers considerably to reduce the turnaround time.
Acquiring data
- Once the requirement has been listed, employers can start collecting the required data.
- The hiring company can reach out to the listed references in the candidate’s application to gather information about education and employment.
- For specific checks, employers must reach out to the governing authorities, prove their need for data and procure them by following the placed protocols.
Validation
- After collecting the data, employers can cross-check the information provided by the candidate and validate their educational and professional accomplishments.
- Employers can also base their screening decisions on criminal records, credit reports, or medical reports where applicable.
Industries and Situations That are Most Suitable for Background Checks in Ukraine
Every job listing has a requirement to verify an applicant’s educational qualification. However, certain types of industries and designations require more than educational verification. Employers hiring for hospitality, education, and caregiving jobs might need to conduct a criminal background check in Ukraine due to common malpractices.
While for specific jobs related to vaccine development, employers might also need to check candidates’ medical records. Many sectors have different standards for performing certain checks. Therefore, determining the requirement for such checks based on the potential risk of the job is a good practice that can help companies reduce potential future threats.
How Multiplier Helps With Background Checks
Multiplier is a SaaS-based Employer of Records (EOR) platform that makes compliance hassle-free for employers looking to hire affordable talents in new markets without investing. Companies can now run multi-currency payrolls, comply with local labor laws and get all the necessary support for drafting compliant contracts in 150+ economies.
As a partner to several background checking agencies worldwide, Multiplier customers can transfer such tasks and focus on other ROI-positive tasks simultaneously. Besides support for background checks through partner companies, employers of every business size can now go international with all the necessary solutions available in one place at Multiplier.