Vets, ex-cons: An untapped labor pool

Brice Wallace 

It might seem unusual to find commonalities between military veterans and ex-convicts.

But a recent employer seminar found both groups to be among an untapped labor pool where Utah businesses can find the workers they need. In a state with a critically low unemployment rate and thousands of open positions, companies can turn to both those who have served their nation and those who have served time.{mprestriction ids="1,3"}

“I think it’s hard for everybody in the public or private or any sector, any industry, to recruit and retain talent right now. A lot of folks would think that’s a good problem to have, but … maybe for about a week,” Yvette Woodland, service area director for Wasatch Front South (Salt Lake and Tooele counties) for the Department of Workforce Services, said at the “Better Your Business” Employer Seminar, presented by the department’s Workforce Development Division and the Wasatch Front South Employer Connection Advisory Board.

Utah companies are competing for potential workers, she said, “which lends to some creative solutions and thinking outside of the box and considering some avenues that you may not be familiar with or you may not have considered before.”

Among those who should be considered, speakers said, are “second-chance hires” among the formerly incarcerated. Utah’s current prison population is just short of 6,000 and the state has more than 10,000 people under probation supervision.

Steve Gehrke, director of operational excellence at the Utah Department of Corrections, said it is important that they have the resources they need in order to have “effective opportunities out there once they’re released from our custody.” He noted that only about 4 percent of the prison population is serving life sentences or have been sentenced to the death penalty.

“It’s really tempting, I guess, to see prison as this ‘black box’ to see where people get sent and they never come back,” Gehrke said. “But in reality, 95-96 percent of those people who get sentenced to prison are going to be out in the community once again. They’ll be shopping at grocery stores, they’ll be our neighbors, they’ll be functional members of society, just like us.”

Eric Barker, deputy region chief for adult probation and parole for the Utah Department of Corrections, said 73.5 million people have criminal records in the U.S. and Utah has 15,185 people on parole or probation. Of that latter group, while some are retired or on disability, only 54.7 percent are currently working.

Much of that population is looking not for a handout but instead a “hand up” — “an opportunity to prove my value to you as a company or an agency,” Barker said. Being employed helps them gain skills, make money to help themselves and their families, and not draw on government assistance.

“Sometimes, all it takes for us as employers is to give someone that opportunity to prove their potential,” Barker said.

But among the barriers in the way are applicant background checks that are part of the hiring process — 72 percent of employers conduct those — and having served time often leads to their applications going straight to the trash can or online applications being deleted, leaving them upset and frustrated, he said.

“They try to reach out to employers and, even though there’s jobs, they’re not hiring them because maybe something in [their] policies restrict that,” Barker said.

However, he cautioned, not all people leaving prison were there because they committed serious crimes.

“I think right now, as a business community, we really need to take a stake in what the criminal justice reform system really looks like,” Barker said. “Are we willing to hire individuals, are we willing to take a look at other options, to help this person become a contributing member of society? Are we helping that recidivism rate drop because we’re giving them the tools, the skill set, to survive in the community and not return back to their criminal ways?”

While government programs do offer bonding programs and tax credits for employers who hire the formerly incarcerated, businesses often see benefits in those hires, in the form of high quality of work and lower turnover rates.

“Most of the candidates that you are going to hire that are on probation are so thankful for the opportunity employers finally gave them for a decent job, they’re probably going to be one of your best employees,” Barker said. “They have a lot riding on them … and they don’t want to go back to jail or prison.”

Most just want a chance, he said, noting that the average monthly earnings for those on parole or probation is $3,306. “They’re not looking for these six-figure-income jobs,” he said. “They’re just trying to find a way to pay their bills, to get through life.”

Also trying to do the same are military veterans. Sources provide different numbers for veterans in Utah. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs pegs the figure at 132,960. Statista indicates there were 114,803 in 2021. A U.S. Census Bureau survey put the number at more than 125,000 in 2019, or about 6 percent of Utah’s adult population.

Proponents of hiring veterans indicate vets exhibit responsibility, dedication, leadership and accountability at all levels; take pride in their appearance and conduct; and possess a strong sense of duty and sacrifice.

For Lisa Duckworth, local veterans employer representative for the Utah Department of Workforce Services, a statistic that stands out is from a survey showing that about 90 percent of veterans indicated they faced obstacles in attaining a job. Once employed, nearly half left their first post-separation position in the first year and more than 65 percent left within two years.

“I’m not going to try to sell you on why veterans are a great addition to your workforce because a lot of people, they already know. However, they just don’t know how to make it work, exactly,” Duckworth said.

“When we think about that 90 percent, that means there’s about 17 million veterans across the nation that are struggling to find work, and so let’s think about that number. It tell us that there’s a ton of people that want to work and have those skills to work but somehow are not making that connection and are missing out. It also tells us that the organizations also are missing out on that entire talent pool of individuals who can bring those unique skills to the workplace.”

Details about veteran hiring are at jobs.utah.gov/veteran/4-employer.html. Information about employer incentives for hiring formerly incarcerated people is at https://www.utp.uscourts.gov/employer-incentives. Details about Utah Department of Corrections programs are at https://corrections.utah.gov/programming/.

Another “Better Your Business” Employer Seminar takes place online Nov. 15, 8:30-10 a.m., and will focus on untapped employees in the refugee and homeless populations. RSVPs for the free seminar can be completed by emailing jlay@utah.gov.{/mprestriction}