Dire US labor shortage provides opportunity for ex-prisoners
job application, ban the box
By MICHAEL GOLDBERG
Associated Press/Report for America
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – The United States’ ongoing labor shortage is bad for employers but presents an opportunity for workers who often could not find jobs in rosier economic times: ex-prisoners.
Special training programs in Mississippi and other states are now trying to fill some of the 11.3 million open jobs in the U.S. through “second-chance hiring” – the practice of employing people with a criminal record.
Studies have shown that stable jobs are a major factor in reducing recidivism.
In a 2021 survey, 53% of human resource professionals said they would be willing to hire people with criminal records – up from just 37% in 2018.
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7/10/2022 6:55:12 AM (GMT -5:00)
