Hiring the Formerly Incarcerated
is good for business

Extending your company’s hiring pool to include the formerly incarcerated can have major benefits for your business and your bottom line. In fact, studies show that employees with a criminal background can actually perform better for you than those without a record.¹ Retention rates can be higher and employees with criminal records are often more loyal.²

Facts That May Surprise You

Recent research has found that employees with records are retained at higher rates than those without criminal histories.³

Individuals with criminal records are more motivated to perform at work, because they have fewer employment options.⁴

Employers who hire workers with criminal records can reduce their federal income tax by as much as $9,600 per employee.

Jobs in sectors like food service, customer service, labor and agriculture are a great for people with records. Applicants are used to structured environments, where expectations are clear and measureable. And once on the job, they excel.

Enlistees with a felony conviction are 33% more likely to be promoted to sergeant in the US military than their peers with no criminal conviction.⁵

Companies that hire the formerly incarcerated are also doing massive social good.

Nearly 80% of those released from jail or prison will be re-arrested within five years. Almost all of them will be unemployed at time of re-arrest. People with jobs, on the other hand, almost never recidivate.

Hiring returning citizens tells your employees and the cities and towns in which you do business that you care about providing second chances.

70MillionJobs can help companies hire, and amplify their message.

You’re probably already hiring hourly workers with records. 70 Million Jobs will deliver applicants for you nationwide, on-demand. We connect companies to the one-third of Americans with some type of criminal record. You gain nationwide access to a vast pipeline of ignored talent. And if you are a company eager to assert your leadership as a second-chance friendly employer, we can help you tell your story.

70 Million Jobs connects companies to the one-third of adult Americans with some type of criminal record. Companies gain nationwide access to a pipeline of ignored talent—at scale. For large employers that need to hire hourly wage workers we deliver applicants nationwide, on-demand.

Q&A

Q How does hiring the formerly incarcerated affect my bottom line?

A Besides the cost savings you’ll enjoy with less turnover, the Federal Work Opportunity Tax Credit program allows employers who hire workers with criminal records to reduce their federal income tax by as much as $9,600 per employee in the first two years of work.

Q What if something happens involving someone I hire?

A Actually, on-the-job incidents happen less frequently to employees with a criminal record. But the US Department of Labor offers bonding for them through the Federal Bonding Program to help employers mitigate any risk.

Q We’re a pretty conservative company. Is this solution for us?

A At 70 Million Jobs, one size doesn’t t every company. We are able to tailor a recruitment campaign to fit your needs. Some employers are eager to assert their leadership as being second chance friendly. If that is true at your company, we can help get the word out. Other companies aren’t looking for press when they work with us, which is fine too.

You're in good company.

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1. Minor, Dylan and Persico, Nicola and Weiss, Deborah M., “Criminal Background and Job Performance,” May 4, 2017, https://ssrn.com/abstract=2851951

2. Daryl Atkinson, “The Benefits of Ban the Box,” The Southern Coalition for Social Justice, 2014, http://www.southerncoalition.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/BantheBox_WhitePaper-2.pdf

3. Minor, Dylan and Persico, Nicola and Weiss, Deborah M., “Criminal Background and Job Performance,” May 4, 2017, https://ssrn.com/abstract=2851951

4. Jennifer Hickes Lundquist, Devah Pager, Eiko Strader; Does a Criminal Past Predict Worker Performance? Evidence from One of America’s Largest Employers, Social Forces, Volume 96, Issue 3, 1 March 2018, Pages 1039–1068, https://doi.org/10.1093/sf/sox092

5. Jennifer Hickes Lundquist, Devah Pager, Eiko Strader; Does a Criminal Past Predict Worker Performance? Evidence from One of America’s Largest Employers, Social Forces, Volume 96, Issue 3, 1 March 2018, Pages 1039–1068, https://doi.org/10.1093/sf/sox092

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Hiring the Formerly Incarceratedis good for business