How to Guide: Hiring from Underutilized Labour Pools, A Guide for Employers Considering Incarcerated Persons
31 December 2024
This guide is designed to help employers understand and navigate the process of hiring from underutilized labor pools, with a specific focus on incarcerated individuals. It aims to provide a structured approach for integrating these individuals into the workforce, particularly in sectors facing labor shortages and where formal education is not a primary requirement.
Understanding the Potential Workforce
Target Demographic: Focus on young and healthy inmates who can be effectively matched to job roles.
Labor Shortage Sectors: Identify sectors like hospitality and retail that are experiencing labor shortages and do not require formal education. These sectors also offer opportunities for reskilling.
Existing Templates and Frameworks
Community Service Orders: Use these as a model for facilitating work opportunities for inmates.
Proposed Employment Framework: Consider a system where low-risk, non-violent, non-sexual offenders are required to work 40 hours a week. This could be part of a contract lasting between 6 months and 3 years, in either private or public sectors. Offenders would receive appropriate compensation for their work. If employment is not possible, volunteer work can be an alternative.
Implementation Steps
- Skill Matching: Corrections departments should match the skill sets and work capacities of eligible offenders with the needs of employers seeking workers.
- Initial Introduction: Once a potential match is found, the standard job vetting and interview processes should be conducted by the employer.
- Employer Preparedness: Ensure that employers are open to hiring individuals with prior convictions for non-violent, non-sexual offenses.
- Positive Outcomes: Highlight the benefits and successful cases where employers have been satisfied with hiring from this labor pool.
Employing individuals from underutilized labor pools, such as incarcerated persons, can be a mutually beneficial arrangement. It provides a workforce for sectors in need while offering a path for offenders to reintegrate into society productively. This guide aims to provide a clear and humane approach to tapping into this potential workforce, ensuring that the process is beneficial for both employers and the individuals seeking employment.
