Unsuccessful employees entitled to search details, says data office

A job seeker responds to HR questions during a job interview. [Getty Images]

Potential employees have a right to know why an employer has declined to offer them a job.

In a landmark judgment likely to jolt the labour sector, the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC) ruled that an employer is bound by the law to lift the veil of a job seeker's background search if it turns out negative.