Since the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020, employers have seen drastic changes to work practices, including the growth of digital and distance-based forms of hiring and candidate assessments.
Within this context, on 12th December 2023 the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) issued draft guidance on data protection practices in relation to recruitment and selection, and opened a consultation until 5th March 2024.
The draft guidance is aimed at employers, recruitment agencies, head-hunters and other organisations involved in candidate hiring, with a particular focus on the challenges of sourcing and researching candidates online and using AI technologies within interviews and assessments. Hiring organisations, particularly those deploying such digitalised recruitment processes, should consider reviewing their recruitment processes in light of the ICO’s new draft guidance and data protection law. They should also consider responding to the consultation.
This article walks through the provisions of the ICO’s draft guidance for organisations at various stages of the recruitment and selection process.
