More US employers are doing background checks on prospective employees, according to a report. The number of checks are up 12 per cent. The worrying news is that half the checks into education and careers found inconsistencies and in five per cent of cases, they turned up criminal records. The checks drill right down to driving violations.

The report suggests it's all tied up with employers managing their hiring processes better in the wake of skills shortages. Not enough machinists, technicians and operators. But it's pretty much reflects that a less trusting era has hit the workplace.