With low unemployment and demand for workers rising, some employers are rethinking their hiring practices, according to a survey by Express Employment Professionals. Some employers are overhauling their drug testing practices based on the belief that overly broad testing eliminates valuable talent from the applicant pool, particularly in states where marijuana use has been legalized in some form, and 65% of businesses reported they lost job applicants because of drug test failures.

Express franchise owners reported that some companies in their regions are rethinking procedures while others are not, despite the market pressure.

“There is no one-size-fits-all policy. In each case, the same question arises, ‘How do I deal with medical marijuana and recreational use?’” said Andrea Owens of HourGlass Testing Solutions, a drug screening provider that has worked with Express franchise owners. “We have several clients that have multiple locations throughout the US evaluating their drug testing policy.”

Anne Woods, an Express franchise owner in Santa Fe Springs and Covina, Calif., remarks that she is “actually a bit surprised” that more companies in her area have not stopped testing for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the chemical compound found in marijuana. Recreational marijuana sales began in January 2018 in California.

Ronnie Morris, an Express franchise owner in Jackson, Tenn., regularly sees job seekers who could be put to work but are ineligible due to the results of drug screens, especially for jobs that do not require extensive technical expertise or the use of equipment.

“In a tight employment market, something has to give,” Morris said. “With less than 4% unemployment and an economy growing at 3%, it’s hard to operate under the same requirements we did when unemployment was 6% and the economy was growing at 1%.”

“Safety must always come first, but still, I’m noticing two trends,” Express CEO Bob Funk said. “First, drug use remains a common roadblock between job seekers and jobs. Second, some employers are hungry enough for workers that they are questioning longstanding practices. There’s no perfect answer, and given the ongoing opioid crisis, employers also have to keep their focus on solutions like prevention, treatment and care.”

The survey included 462 businesses that are current and former clients of Express Employment Professionals. It was conducted in December 2017.