Hiring discrepancies continued across both traditional white-collar roles and the on-demand workforce during the first half of FY26, according to the latest Workforce Fraud Files report by AuthBridge. The authentication technology firm reported an overall discrepancy rate of 4.33% among white-collar employees during H1 FY26, while the on-demand ecosystem (ODE) recorded a higher discrepancy rate of 5.61%, indicating elevated verification risks in flexible and operational roles.
The findings are based on AuthBridge’s background verification data captured during H1 FY26, spanning checks across identity, address, employment history, education, criminal records and CV validation. Among white-collar hires, employment verification emerged as the most impacted category, 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%. Drug screening discrepancies were reported at 1.87%, and criminal record checks at 0.50%.
The on-demand workforce demonstrated higher vulnerability across certain parameters. Address verification discrepancies were recorded at 9.70%, while identity (NID) discrepancies stood at 2.53%. Criminal record check discrepancies in the ODE segment were observed at 2.23%, underscoring the importance of strong verification frameworks, particularly 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, the report noted that their continued presence highlights the need for consistent, standardised and role-specific background verification practices, especially in regulated and customer-facing sectors.
Commenting on the findings, Ajay Trehan, CEO and Founder of AuthBridge, said, “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.”