Kelly Launches Program to Connect Job Seekers Who Have a Criminal Record with Companies in Need of Their Skills

Workforce solutions provider launches Kelly 33 after a successful partnership with Toyota Manufacturing in Kentucky, involving candidates with criminal records being eligible for hire

TROY, Mich., Sept. 16, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- It’s a staggering statistic: One in three working-age Americans – more than 70 million people – have some type of criminal record. Most of them are non-violent offenders unable to access quality employment because of outdated background screening practices companies have in place. These blanket bans deprive Americans who are motivated to work of opportunity and economic mobility, and they make it harder for businesses in need of skilled workers to fill open positions. Today, Kelly, a global workforce solutions leader, is announcing a program that tackles this issue head on.

Kelly 33 connects talented job seekers who have a non-violent, non-relevant criminal background with employers in need of their skills. The program gives hiring managers access to undiscovered talent looking for a second chance. It is being launched after a successful partnership with Toyota Manufacturing in Georgetown, Kentucky, involving candidates with criminal records being eligible for hire.

“We’re proud to launch Kelly 33 to expand employment opportunities for many of the nearly 33% of Americans with a criminal history and to help companies better meet their talent acquisition goals,” Kelly President and CEO Peter Quigley says. “Our partnership with Toyota highlights how giving individuals a second chance is not only a good thing to do but is also good for business.”

Kelly conducts individualized screenings of candidates’ criminal background records, consistent with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) Green Factors, which look at job-relatedness and how criminal conduct is related to a specific position, when placing candidates at Toyota. As of today, Kelly has evaluated 1,242 candidates with a criminal record for potential assignments at Toyota, 92% of whom are eligible for placement. More than half of those candidates – 645 job seekers – accepted Kelly’s offer for placement at Toyota.

As a result of Kelly’s individualized assessment of candidate criminal history, hundreds of candidates were successfully placed at Toyota, resulting in Toyota’s Georgetown, Kentucky plant increasing its talent pool by 20%, reducing its turnover rate by 70% to an all-time monthly low of 3%, and increasing its overall diversity rate by 8%, which ranks among the top companies in the Central Kentucky region.