UK job applicants are more than three times as likely to lie on their CVs as those from the rest of the world, a recent study has found.

Pre-employment screening specialists Powerchex today released its annual research into CV embellishments, looking through details of almost 6,000 job applications made over the last 12 months.

Powerchex, which specialises in background checking on behalf of financial institutions, found that 22% of all British job applicants’ CVs contain a serious untruth or embellishment. This compared unflatteringly to job applicants from the rest of the world, with the average embellishment rate of just 7%. Job applicants of Asian origin were found to be the most honest, with just 4% of CVs found to contain hidden negative information.

Powerchex managing director, Alexandra Kelly, says: “Applications for more junior positions are more likely to contain hidden negative information, and these tend to be dominated by British jobseekers, with the new points-based immigration system creating a substantial barrier for non-UK job applicants to nonspecialist roles.”