Background Checks in Uruguay Are Crucial to a Healthy Business

If you are planning on entering the Uruguayan market and are going to be hiring local staff, you will want to undertake background checks on them beforehand. Because when you carry out background checks in Uruguay, you build up a clear picture of the history of those workers’ employment and general conduct, providing you with the peace of mind that the right people are in place to take your business forward.

For anyone seeking local staff without the need to incorporate a legal entity, hiring through a professional employer organization (PEO) could be the best solution. Because when you hire staff through a PEO in Uruguay, that PEO firm acts as their official employer while you have total control over their schedules and workloads. Such an option is particularly attractive to anyone planning a shorter-term or limited-scale market entry, and also involves comprehensive screening of those staff.

Uruguay is considered one of the most developed countries in Latin America, with a sizeable gross domestic product (GDP) despite the country’s modest size, reaching $56.04 billion (all figures in USD) in 2019. That year, gross national income (GNI) — a key indicator of prosperity — reached $16,230, a figure that positions Uruguay as a high-income country by international standards. Meanwhile the country has some of the lowest violent crime statistics in the region and is only outranked by Chile among Latin American nations on the Economic Freedom Index published by the Heritage Foundation.

The country’s status as a major entry and exit point for goods arriving or leaving South America via the Atlantic has also seen Uruguay as a major promoter free trade, with the country a founder member of the Southern Common Market (Mercosur), through which it has a host of free trade agreements (FTAs) in place with countries around the world. Among Uruguay’s main export commodities are timber and wood-based products, beef and chicken meat, dairy products, and agricultural crops. Majro export destinations include Argentina, Brazil, China, the Netherlands, and the United States.

If you are interested in taking advantage of the opportunities available in this prosperous South American market, read on to understand how background checks in Uruguay can help you eliminate risks and help offer your business the greatest chances of success. Or, go ahead and reach out to us now to discuss your business options.

Background checks in Uruguay: which staff can be screened?

When doing business in Uruguay, you will want to perform background checks on any staff member that you are considering employing, no matter if they are C-suite executives that you are looking to hire to run the enterprise or entry-level workers who will make the business tick.

Depending on the position they are going to be occupying, you will need to choose between a number of different screening options, some of which will be particularly relevant to specific roles, while others will form part of a standard background check in Uruguay.

Below some of the different types of background checks in Uruguay are considered.

Types of background checks in Uruguay

A number of different screening options exist in Uruguay, with some of the most common and relevant to foreign investors including:

Previous Employment: One of the most basic types of background checks in Uruguay is of the declared work history of the prospective worker, which can be checked via reference requests and study of documentation and certifications offered up by the job candidate.

Professional Accreditation: Another common check to undertake is to verify all claimed qualifications and accreditation, which is carried out by cross referencing those claims against the records of the institutions that apparently issued the certifications.

Fiscal Situation: Another type of background check in Uruguay involves verifying that the person does not have outstanding fiscal responsibilities or is facing legal proceedings related to finances or outstanding debts.

Disciplinary History: As part of a previous employment screening, a background check in Uruguay will establish whether the potential employee encountered disciplinary problems in their previous roles. Similarly, the attendance history of that potential employee will be examined to verify their historic reliability.

Criminal Records: A crucial type of background check involves verifying that the potential employee does not have any kind of criminal record that would make them ineligible or unsuitable for the role you are hiring them for.

Biz Latin Hub can screen your staff in Uruguay

At Biz Latin Hub, our multilingual team of hiring and PEO experts is equipped to undertake comprehensive background checks in Uruguay. With our comprehensive portfolio of back office service provision, we can be your single point of contact for company formation, legal services, accounting and taxation, and a host of other corporate services, in Uruguay or any of the other 15 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean where we have a presence.

Contact us now for personalized assistance or a free quote.

Learn more about our team and expert authors