More companies find verifying new recruits with Aadhaar cheaper, faster

Recruiters are now using Aadhaar to verify new employees they are hiring, which incurs less costs and time than conventional methods, state a report by the Times of India. The verification process, which used to take a week's time with usual methods, now can be completed within 15 minutes, the report said. Moreover, the entire process can be completed without a paper trail as there is no documentation involved with Aadhaar verification. Aadhaar verification helps in pinpointing fraudulent information provided by new recruits.

Earlier, companies had been physically verifying the personal details furnished by the new recruits which used to take days. Job profiles which require mass recruitment makes the entire process even more gruelling.

The verification process with Aadhaar begins when the new employee receives a notification via the Aadhaar app or SMS. Following this, Aadhaar is authenticated either through OTP or fingerprint scanner at the office. Once authenticated, the new employee fills required details in another form, uploads associated documents and puts in his signature digitally through phone. The employee is officially on board once this process is done.

Ajit Issac, CEO of contract staffing firm Quess, told TOI that what took 35-40 people slogging for days now takes six persons and a few minutes. The verification costs have come down to 60 per cent in comparison to earlier, Issac added, with as low as Rs 15 per person.

Quess has its own verification division but usually outsources its verification jobs to an agency. The agency verifies the address of the employee and calls previous employers for background checks. This takes five to seven days, the report stated.

Aadhaar verification, however, will not be applicable to the jobs where police verification is mandatory, like those of security guards.

Launched in 2009 to streamline welfare schemes in the country by identifying beneficiaries, Aadhaar has been recently attached to several public welfare schemes and services.