Millions more are trapped in jobs with temp staffing agencies as they simply aren’t able to find good jobs elsewhere. As of this writing, the data is indicating that only half of the temp agencies that were in business last year are still in operation this year. These high rates of unemployment only add to the difficulty for those struggling to reintegrate into the workforce after serving time.
In South Florida, a staggering 70% of individuals returning from prison seek employment through temp agencies within three years of their release. Despite these efforts, a significant 57% of respondents reported being unable to secure a full-time job that pays even the minimum wage within a year after their release. These barriers to stable employment still plague the reintegration process for many, creating a cyclical nature of instability.
Florida’s incarceration rates are horrifying, with nearly 157,000 people in state prisons and over 55,763 people in county jails. Additionally, nearly 164,000 people are actively living under some type of state supervision. Consequently, hundreds of thousands of Floridians with criminal records are forced to seek work solely through temporary staffing agencies. This has quickly become their new primary, and often only, job provider.
Maya Ragsdale, co-executive director of Beyond The Bars and co-author of the report. Her roundtable comments underscored the precariousness of the so-called gig economy. She commented on how labor pools often come and go.
“One of the things that has been really challenging for members of our organization is that labor pools kind of pop up and close very regularly. We have done a survey of all the temp agencies in south Florida last year, and then this year, we took that same list and looked through it again, and only like 50% of them are still open,” – Maya Ragsdale.
The report revealed that in pro-temp Florida, whole warehouses frequently employ no permanent workers at all. In these settings, a control tower company usually hires or controls management. Their front-line staff are all temps on the fly.
“There are warehouses in [Florida] that are entirely staffed by temp workers. The management is hired by the host employer. The entire line staff is temped out,” – Maya Ragsdale.
When temp workers do these jobs, the conditions they face are truly terrifying. For instance, 24% of those surveyed reported experiencing wage theft, while 17% indicated they had suffered a work-related injury or illness. Further, 41 percent of temp workers reported that they were told they would be responsible for paying for their own healthcare.
The fiscal impact is clear cut. Temp workers in the construction sector are paid on average $6.47 less per hour than permanent direct hires. This pay gap only increases the challenges for those who are trying to make ends meet after returning home from serving their time in prison.
Felix, a former manager at Office Depot, spoke movingly about his difficulty reintegrating after serving time in jail.
“Before I went to jail, I was a manager at Office Depot. When I came out, I couldn’t get the kind of jobs I had before,” – Felix.
These differing experiences highlight the nuance and uncertainty surrounding temporary work for people with criminal records.
“After incarceration, I was placed as a temp on a construction site and ended up working for the same company for nine years,” – Cam.
These contrasting experiences illustrate the unpredictability of temporary employment for individuals with criminal records.