As the USA has recently experienced a sustained period of low unemployment rates the question remains, is this helping formerly incarcerated individuals find gainful employment? The answer is both yes and no depending on the source. The combination of low unemployment rates and ban-the-box laws appear to be having an effect on potential employment with those with a criminal background record.
Currently there does not seem to be enough evidence that ban-the-box laws are actually working, however these laws combined with sustained low employment rates do appear to be effective. With less and less available workers in the USA companies with open positions cannot be as selective as before and some of them are taking serious looks at people with previous criminal records.
As of the posting of this blog the United States has been experiencing a sustained period of very low unemployment rates. Across the country employers are desperately seeking employees and often times struggle to fill positions.
Concurrently, Ban-the-Box laws have become increasingly popular in order to assist formerly incarcerated individuals in finding gainful employment.
Employers should remain fully aware of all laws pertaining to the hiring process, especially Ban-the-Box laws. These laws can vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and a best practice continues to be to work with a well-qualified third-part pre-employment background screening agency.
Even with low unemployment numbers in the USA there is still a segment of the population that continues to struggle.
From TurnTo10.com (Aug 10, 18):
With the largest prison population in the world, the United States has a generally unacknowledged unemployment crisis that is not only devastating individuals and their families but taking a toll on the economy.
In the last quarter, the U.S. economy grew at a pace of 4.1 percent. July marked the 94th month of continuous job growth and saw more people returning to the labor force after dropping out. But for the millions of prime working-age adults who have a criminal conviction, the economic picture has been anything but rosy. turnto10.com/news/nation-world/unemployment-crisis-for-ex-inmates-drags-on-the-economy-amid-push-for-prison-reform
Ultimately hiring managers should continue to be stringent in proper background screening of all perspective employees and must do so in a fair and equal standing, as well as in full compliance with existing law. Ban-the-Box laws continue to appear across the country and hiring managers should be very aware of all changes in laws that govern hiring.
Although the economic picture for adults with criminal records may in some estimation appear anything but rosy, there certainly are instances of hope. In New Jersey a potential turnaround in unemployment for ex-cons may be occurring.
According to a recent article posted to NJTVOnline.com (Aug 10, 18) programs designed to assist in gaining employment for former offenders are finding recent success.
Most of the jobs are low wage, entry level positions. But those who have studied post-prison unemployment for years says there is a turnaround in the state.
“I don’t know if it’s attributable to the Ban the Box legislation. I’ve seen it very recently because the unemployment rate is so low,” said Reentry Coalition of New Jersey Executive Director Kevin McHugh. “I’ve been getting calls from human resources departments, employers asking me for help in connecting them with our program people to get them offenders for jobs. That’s just amazing.” www.njtvonline.org/news/video/has-ban-the-box-legislation-reduced-unemployment-for-former-inmates/
With so many people in the USA that have paid for their offenses it is imperative that they be given a chance at getting hired for a decent job and thus can contribute to the overall economic health of the nation, and more importantly to help aid in the prevention of recidivism. It is clear that the combination of sustained low unemployment with ban-the-box laws is undoubtedly aiding in the accomplishment of this goal.
To read more about this subject read recent press release found at: Ban The Box Laws in Low Employment Economy: Are They Helping Ex-Cons Find Employment?