Unemployment is a severe ailment among Americans. Around 64% of the men in their 30s are jobless due to their criminal records; they face higher challenges amidst the pandemic and cannot meet their daily expenses. The US citizens faced high unemployment during the pandemic, they struggled to manage their finances, and their living standards deteriorated. CNBC reports that around 6% of men at 35 don’t have a job, two out of three men in that age group are arrested due to misdemeanors. The data shows that 46% of them are accused of a crime, and the rest are incarcerated.
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Men with past criminal records are likely to remain jobless.
CNBC reports that men with past criminal records face difficulty finding jobs at present; their past life comes back to haunt them. The reports show that the criminal record upsets the employers. The reports show that their woes aggravate their lack of education and essential job and communication skills. The reports show that even skilled individuals struggle due to their criminal past. The employers, too, have a hard time recruiting eligible employees; more often, they fail to scout the right talent for the right job.
CNBC quoted Shawn Bushway, lead author of the study and a senior policy researcher at RAND; he said, “These folks often have an additional barrier unrelated to job skill: the ability to get a job if there’s a background check. If you’re an employer and have a very restrictive background check, you’re not going to hire a lot of people. There are lots of people who get convicted again. The majority of people who go to prison don’t go back.” The reports show that applicants with past criminal records cannot access jobs; the clean applicants are 60% more likely to land their desired career.
Black men suffer the most.
CNBC reports that racial discrimination also affects unemployment, black men in their 30s are twice as likely to be unemployed than their white counterparts. The reports show that black men have a higher likelihood of having a criminal record. RAND defines unemployment as being without a job for four weeks during the last 12 months.
