For Employers
Employer Resources
The South Salt Lake Chamber has partnered with Utah Community Builders to feature their valuable resources for employers. Utah Community Builders, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit leverages the innovation and efficiency of the private sector to address community issues that impact businesses, the workforce, families, and all Utahns. This partnership allows local businesses to access tools and resources designed to support employers and employees, helping to address challenges and foster a thriving, supportive work environment in South Salt Lake.
The “Fair Chance Hiring Guide” is designed to help organizations navigate the path of hiring individuals who have previously been involved with the justice system. In a time when Utah’s unemployment rate is impressively low, it is crucial to explore different ways to meet our workforce needs.
Why is this guide relevant to you? Consider this:
Utah’s Workforce Shortage and Skills Gap: Utah has experienced remarkable economic growth in recent years. With record-low unemployment rates, businesses across various sectors are grappling with the challenge of securing the right talent to fuel their expansion.
Untapped Potential: Having a criminal record is more common than you may think. Over 800,000 Utahns have a misdemeanor or felony level record, and many of these individuals are left out of the workforce. However, this also presents an opportunity. These individuals have diverse skills, relevant experience and strong work ethics. By embracing fair chance hiring, we can fill crucial positions with individuals eager to reintegrate into society and build meaningful careers.
Supporting Community Reintegration: A growing body of evidence suggests that fair chance hiring significantly reduces recidivism rates, contributing to safer and more prosperous communities. When we provide individuals the opportunity to rebuild their lives through gainful employment, we invest in a brighter future for our region.
Legal Compliance: The guide provides insights into the legal aspects of fair chance hiring, ensuring your business operates within the bounds of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) laws, local ordinances and state regulations.
We encourage you to explore the “Fair Chance Hiring Guide” as a means to not only address your workforce needs but also to make a positive impact on the lives of those seeking a second chance.
Businesses seeking fair chance hiring have access to a multitude of resources at the state, local and federal levels, offering support and guidance to promote inclusivity and provide opportunities to individuals seeking employment.
Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA): Employers that conduct background checks must adhere to the FCRA, which outlines disclosure and consent requirements. Complying with FCRA ensures that the background check process is lawful.
Utah’s Clean Slate Law: In 2019, Utah lawmakers unanimously passed a clean slate law, automating criminal record clearance for lower-level misdemeanor offenses, as long as a person remains crime free for a set period of time. While this law is very impactful, it does not have a direct notification requirement to the individual that their record has been cleared or expunged. Employers should educate themselves about the law, help spread the word about it to their employees and become familiar with the services of Clean Slate Utah.
Record Expungement or Pardon: In some cases, individuals may be eligible to have their criminal records expunged or receive a pardon, which can make it easier for a person to find a job. Employers can help educate people about record clearance options available to them.
Expungement Services by Rasa: Rasa Legal is a local, mission-driven Utah business that helps justice-involved individuals determine their eligibility for expungement and provides low-cost legal services to these individuals. Rasa interacts with a high number of job seekers on its platform and works with Utah businesses to offer record clearance services as a way to recruit and retain good talent.
Talent Ready Utah: The Talent Ready Utah program, administered by the Utah System of Higher Education, represents a collaborative effort between educational institutions and industries in Utah. Talent Ready Utah serves as a platform for educational and industrial collaboration, focusing on skill development and broadening horizons for students. It’s a vital component in ensuring that Utah maintains a highly skilled and competitive workforce.
Return to Work Grant: The Return to Work Grant provides adults opportunities to re-enter the workforce after an extended absence and gives innovative return-to-work programs that offer experience, training, skills, mentoring and networking opportunities aligned with a targeted career path.
Utah Works: Utah Works allows education partners to develop customized curriculum for pre-employment and early employment trainings.
Talent Ready Apprenticeship Connection: The Talent Ready Apprenticeship Connection provides meaningful work experience for students engaged in learning the skills they need for a successful career.
On-the-Job Training: offers reimbursement to employers who provide customized job training for participants. Employers can be in the public, private or nonprofit sector. In addition, reimbursement for up to 50 percent of a new employee’s training wages for up to six months is available. Employers must plan to hire the individual after the training period.
Work Opportunity Tax Credit: The Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) is a federal tax credit program designed to incentivize employers to hire individuals from certain targeted groups who often face barriers to employment. Justice-involved individuals who have completed or are still in the process of completing their sentence often qualify. The WOTC program, administered by the U.S. Department of Labor and the Internal Revenue Service, is one workforce program that incentivizes workplace diversity and facilitates access to good jobs for American workers. Employers of all sizes are eligible to claim the WOTC and may be taxable or tax-exempt businesses.
Requirements:
The program is for new hires who meet target group criteria and begin work before December 31, 2025.
To apply for certification, employers must submit the application forms no later than 28 days from the new hire start date.
Benefit:
The credit offers 25 percent of qualified first-year wages for those employed at least 120 hours but fewer than 400 hours and 40 percent for those employed 400 hours or more. Most targeted groups’ maximum credit is $2,400.
For more information on the forms required, the certification process, and the Utah WOTC Unit contact information, visit: jobs.utah.gov/employer/business/wotc.html