The majority of professionals across the EU and the US feel prepared for recruiting under General Data Protection Regulation, according to research from recruitment software firm Lever. The GDPR comes into force on 25 May 2018.

The research surveyed 500 professionals across the EU and US who are directly involved in preparing their organisations for GDPR compliance for recruiting. It also found that 73% of companies are working with legal counsel to prepare for GDPR. Meanwhile, 61% are concerned about the impact GDPR will have on recruiting and sourcing, yet 90% will continue to source candidates.

Lever’s research also found that companies are taking different approaches as to when they collect candidate consent, how long they will store candidate data, and what they do with candidate data after the retention period expires. “Another grey area in the GDPR is determining how long to store candidate data,” the report stated.

“It is heartening to see that the majority of organizations take compliance with the GDPR seriously and feel prepared to meet their obligations by the 25 May enforcement deadline. At the same time, the regulation presents complex new challenges for companies, including ambiguity on exactly how to achieve compliance,” the report stated.

The GDPR establishes a single set of rules on data protection for the 28 member states of the EU. Any organisation that handles the personal data of EU citizens is affected. Furthermore, any company established outside of the EU but offering goods or services to customers within the EU, or monitoring the behaviour of EU citizens, will have to apply the same rules. For more on GDPR, refer to Staffing Industry Analysts’ guide Implementing GDPR: A Guide.