A Willing Workforce (With Criminal Records)
Date Posted: May 27, 2021
Posted In: Discussion, Workforce,
From Construction Business Owner: The construction industry has been plagued by labor shortages for most of the past decade. Despite more than a decade of rising demand, total construction employment has yet to fully recover from the exodus of skilled workers in the wake of the 2008 recession.
Although the early months of the pandemic eliminated activity in the sector for a brief period, the industry’s workforce strains are not only returning but are likely to get worse. As traditional sources of workers dry up, construction companies need to explore and exploit nontraditional pipelines of talent. Done right, some of the best of these opportunities lie in the large population of Americans who have a criminal record.
The construction industry has long been thought of as felony-friendly. Unlike large swaths of the business community, a criminal record has not been an automatic disqualification for a job applicant in the construction community. But hiring for low-level laborer roles or hiring people with records as a last resort is a far cry from true second-chance hiring, consciously building a talent pipeline from the millions touched by the criminal justice system.
Establishing pathways for construction careers for workers who have been marginalized by a criminal record may well become a necessity as competition for workers increases. The same demographic forces that brought demand for residential construction to house the baby boomer generation has a dark side from the standpoint of employers. Older workers, often among the most experienced and skilled in the construction industry, continue to retire, and future workers are harder to find.
Birth rates peaked cyclically in the United States in 1990, and current American fertility rates won’t even replace our existing population. As the economy wide competition for workers heats up, the construction industry continues to suffer from the (however unwarranted) societal skepticism of careers in the goods-producing economy. For those open to such careers, construction will continue to compete for talent with the energy industry, but now also with new demands for manufacturing workers. As if all this wasn’t enough, the Federal Reserve Bank has unveiled a “new monetary policy framework” that may keep labor markets tighter for longer.
Second-Chance Hiring
Why should employers view people with criminal records as a solution? This demographic is simply too large to ignore: 19 million Americans have a felony conviction. It’s also telling that over half were convicted of crimes so minor they did not incur an actual prison sentence. Ultimately, this quantity of potential workers is meaningless if it does not meet quality requirements. It may seem counterintuitive, but properly selected and supported, pioneering employers have proven that people with criminal records can be outstanding employees. The key is a hiring model that identifies who among this population is truly ready for employment and provides accommodations that allow them to thrive. Studies show that people given such a second chance under these conditions are exceptionally engaged and loyal — a recipe for low turnover and high productivity in your workforce.
Like the fostering of any talent resource, establishing an effective second-chance hiring program requires an investment of time and experimentation. Partnerships are key, starting with referral sources that understand and support your business needs. Often, these partners are found in nonprofit workforce development agencies or those specializing in the reintegration of people exiting prisons. Such organizations range from those with a national reach, like Goodwill Industries, down to local churches. Government officials have also become important resources as state prison systems increasingly focus on job training. The Michigan Department of Corrections’ Vocational Village sites offer training and certification in areas relevant to the industry: carpentry, plumbing, electrical and masonry or concrete. Michigan is not alone; Kansas is building a Career Campus in a correctional facility and most states have programs of some kind. Probation and parole officers can also be potential referral sources. In general, employers will be surprised to find how many resources and willing partners are available to them.