CareerSource Pinellas celebrated Second Chance Month all throughout April. The organization spent the month spotlighting the importance of supporting formerly incarcerated individuals’ successful reentry into the workforce. With ongoing workforce shortages, the benefit of connecting people to productive employment extends to the local economy as well as the employees and their family.
“Our mission at CareerSource Pinellas is to connect individuals with the tools and resources they need to succeed in today’s competitive job market,” said Steven Meier, CEO of CareerSource Pinellas. “During Second Chance Month, we reaffirm our commitment to supporting returning citizens as they work towards building brighter futures for themselves and their families.”
Giving people a second chance
CareerSource Pinellas has collaborated extensively with community partners to find solutions such as second-chance hiring to meet employer demands. Plus there is also the huge benefit that high-quality, stable jobs have for returning citizens and the rest of the community. It reduces recidivism and contributes to the local economy.
“As we commemorate Second Chance Month, we are reminded of the transformative power of opportunity. Every individual deserves a chance to rebuild their lives, contribute to society and pursue their dreams,” said Colleen Englert, Executive Director of Florida HIRES. This is a partnership between CareerSource Florida and the Florida Department of Corrections that offers a pre-release career readiness pathway to post-release employment for returning citizens.
Partnering with Florida HIRES
Through their partnership, Florida HIRES and CareerSource Pinellas funded Florida’s first pre-release paid onsite employer work-based learning experience. Six months after the program completed, 11 of the 12 individuals who had successfully completed the program remained employed with salaries between $18-20 per hour.
According to the Florida Chamber of Commerce, across the state, there are 100 open jobs for every 78 unemployed people. In Pinellas County, that gap is even greater: for every 100 open jobs, there are just 69 unemployed people. Meanwhile, 6 million Floridians have an arrest record that creates barriers to re-entering the workforce. Here is AIF’s research that measures the economic impact of this population remaining underemployed:
- People who served time in prison suffer annual earnings losses of 52 percent. People with a felony conviction but no experience of imprisonment experience a 22 percent annual wage loss. And people with a misdemeanor conviction face a 16 percent annual loss of their earnings. (Brennan Center for Justice, 2021)
- In Florida, the impact of criminal records ranges from $24 billion to $40 billion in lost workers’ earnings each year. In profitable industries, the lost productivity – a cost borne by Florida businesses – is even higher.
- The reduction in purchasing power of people who are unemployed due to a record results in $15 billion in lost retail sales. And $900 billion in lost sales tax revenues.
The benefits of helping others
Creating opportunities for these citizens to re-enter society productively after completing their sentence is good for businesses with jobs to fill, good for the ex-offender who is more likely to stay out of prison, and good for communities who benefit from the increase in tax revenue and lower recidivism rates.
From job training and skills development to resume assistance and job placement, CareerSource Pinellas is dedicated to helping individuals overcome obstacles and achieve sustainable employment.