HirePro report finds rising integrity concerns in hiring

HirePro says its report draws on an annual sample of about 1 million assessments and 100,000 interviews from FY21 to FY26, alongside input from industry experts.[1] It found that assessment cheating or integrity concerns increased from 32% in FY22 to 45% in FY26, which the report describes as nearly one in two assessments showing an integrity concern in FY26.[1][3] Interview-related cases also rose over the period, reaching 2.5% in FY26 from 1.4% in FY22.[1] The figures cover different parts of hiring, so employers reviewing their processes may want to examine assessment and interview controls separately.

In assessment malpractice, external assistance remained the largest category in 2025-26, accounting for 43% of cases, down from 55% in 2022-23, according to HirePro.[3] The report also lists mobile or secondary-device use at 13%, identity and visibility issues at 12%, AI-assisted cheating at 12%, and video or screen manipulation at 9%.[3] These figures show that AI is one part of a broader set of reported assessment concerns. HirePro identified AI-assisted cheating as the fastest-growing category, with 50% relative growth in one year.[3]

HirePro’s report says identity fraud’s share of interview malpractice fell from 65% in FY23 to 28% in 2025-26.[3] It puts device-based cheating at 20%, AI-assisted cheating at 18%, reference-based assistance at 15%, and camera or visibility manipulation at 13%.[3] The report also says video manipulation nearly doubled from 2022-23.[3] HirePro COO S. Pasupathi said AI-assisted cheating in assessments and its emergence in interviews indicate that risks are moving beyond conventional malpractice.[1]

Pasupathi said employers’ existing evaluation controls may not match methods candidates can now access, and that organizations need to keep integrity systems up to date.[1] He described the challenge as a technology arms race requiring ongoing innovation in detection, verification and monitoring.[2] EY Forensic and Integrity Services partner Amit Rahane said malpractice has evolved from unauthorized notes, device use and proxy test-takers to AI-generated answers and deepfakes, with the problem especially pronounced in mass recruitment and entry-level hiring.[4] HirePro says early-stage screening is the most compromised stage, while an unsuitable hire can cost an organization up to 30% of a worker’s first-year salary.[2][4]