India’s pharmaceutical workforce records 16% discrepancy rate: AuthBridge reports 

The latest AuthBridge’s Workforce Fraud Files 2025 report revealed that the pharmaceutical sector has recorded the highest overall discrepancy rate of 16% among major industries, with exaggerated experience claims and unverifiable referrals emerging as key challenges.

These findings highlight critical vulnerabilities in pharmaceutical hiring, especially for field-heavy roles that demand rigorous background verification.

Key Findings:

•       The pharmaceutical sector reported a 16% overall discrepancy rate, the highest among all major industries in the report.
•       Employment verification discrepancies stood at 10.8%, with nearly 1 in 5 candidates misrepresenting prior job experience, salary, or tenure.
•       Education verification failures accounted for 1.83%, mostly involving unverifiable degrees or mismatched specialisations.
•       Court record checks (CRC) flagged issues in 1.18% of profiles, typically related to previous disputes or minor legal history.
•       Address verification saw a failure rate of 9.6%, predominantly due to outdated or incomplete address records among field staff.

The report identifies several pharma-specific fraud patterns:

•       Roles in the pharmaceutical sector, particularly those involving extensive fieldwork, are often marked by exaggerated claims about work experience and references that are difficult to verify.
•       High workforce mobility and incomplete address records complicate validation, posing risks to compliance and operational integrity.
•       The prevalence of unverified background details in crucial public health-facing roles highlights significant operational and reputational vulnerability for employers.

Speaking about the sector-specific risks highlighted in the report, Ajay Trehan, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of AuthBridge, said, “India’s pharmaceutical industry, a cornerstone of global healthcare, faces the highest hiring discrepancy rate across industries at 16%. The surge in misrepresentation, ranging from exaggerated work experience to unverifiable referrals, poses critical risks not only to pharma companies but also to patient safety and regulatory compliance. We urge industry leaders to adopt layered, sustained, and AI-powered verification solutions, particularly for field roles where precise background checks are essential. By embracing advanced verification technologies, pharma businesses can build resilient, trustworthy teams and uphold the highest standards of safety and integrity.”

The report highlights the urgent need for instant checks, role-sensitive verification, and continuous re-screening in pharmaceutical hiring, where frontline and distribution roles are especially exposed to inflated credentials and incomplete records.

With a presence in over 100 countries and a track record of conducting 15 million verifications each month, AuthBridge continues to lead the identity verification industry, combining cutting-edge AI with responsible innovation.