The 10 biggest companies that hire felons provide a valuable second chance to those who have made mistakes but who wish to lead their lives honestly and respectfully in the future. In the U.S, crimes are divided into broad classes – misdemeanours are crimes that carry a maximum 12 months of imprisonment, while felonies are more serious crimes which have punishments in excess of 12 months. In today’s times of automation, specialization and extreme competitiveness, it is challenging even for people with decent degrees to score a job, let alone felons and ex-convicts.
According to ObamaWhiteHouse, around 70 million U.S citizens have some kind of criminal record. That translates into about one in every three members of the working population. As such, the Obama government launched the ‘Fair Chance Business Pledge’ last year, to remove any obstacles in finding jobs for those with a criminal record. Many prestigious and well-known companies like Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ:FB), Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG), Pepsico Inc. (NYSE:PEP), and Xerox Corp. (NYSE:XRX) came forward and signed the pledge granting a second chance to felons.
For further felony-related reading, don’t miss our list of the 7 easiest felonies to commit without realizing it.
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It is difficult for people with a criminal record to find a decent way of making money after they have served their sentence and repaid their debt to society. People hesitate to trust someone with such a background, whether rightfully so or not. But by the same token, these people do deserve the chance to make amends and live a decent life, and the 10 biggest companies that hire felons have taken a step forward in that regard. Some prisons also conduct internal training programs for their inmates that not only keep them busy, but also give them the skills they need to find gainful employment once they are let free.
There are a lot of companies which believe in granting a second chance to ex-convicts. Air transportation companies like British Airways and American Airlines Group Inc. (NASDAQ:AAL) hire felons and ex-convicts. Car rental companies like Uber and IT companies like Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) also have open policies in regards to hiring felons. The manufacturing & construction and food & hospitality industries also provide these individuals with a second chance to overhaul their lives and move forward. Many big companies have even removed the box asking applicants details about their criminal records on their application forms.
One of the biggest challenges for anyone who is set free after serving his/her sentence is finding a good, legal job. While many of us would think that the chances are minimal, the truth is quite a number of large public companies do hire felons. Over the next few pages, you will learn about the 10 biggest companies that hire felons. We have collated data from various sources like ObamaWhiteHouse, and online communities like JobsForFelonsHub and HelpForFelons, and ranked the companies based on their market capitalization. Check out the list starting on the next page.
