5 Felon Friendly Jobs that are Hiring
Who Hires Felons?
While it may be daunting to start the job search with a felony conviction, employment prospects can still be good. In fact, in 2016, the White House launched The Fair Chance Business Pledge, encouraging businesses to give felons a fair chance at gainful employment.
Many well-known companies signed the pledge, meaning that they pledged to break down barriers that previously made it very difficult for felons to get hired. Here, we list five common jobs for felons, along with companies that are open to offering these jobs to convicted felons.
1. Delivery Driver
Being a delivery driver is a flexible job for felons and many companies that employ delivery drivers have been known to accept felons. On the top of the list is PepsiCo, as they signed the 2016 Fair Chance Business Pledge. While PepsiCo has a wide range of jobs available, delivery drivers are currently among the most available.
You can look at openings and apply through the PepsiCo website. For most of their delivery driver openings, a commercial driver’s license (CDL) is required. Drivers are responsible for delivering products to stores, unloading them, bringing them in and sometimes restocking shelves. Drivers at PepsiCo make an average of around $23 to $30/hour.
2. Electrician
While the ability to obtain an electrician’s license as a felon depends on state and local laws, it can be an excellent career option for felons. Another company that signed the 2016 Fair Chance Business Pledge is Georgia-Pacific, which means they are open to giving felons a second chance with employment through their company.
They have many job openings for skilled tradespeople, including electricians. You can look at job openings and apply through the Georgia-Pacific website. Electricians here start with a two-year apprenticeship and their role includes fixing AC/DC drives, modifying conduit and wiring, examining equipment conditions, repairing electrical equipment and more. Their current pay rate is around $37/hour and increases after completion of their apprenticeship.
3. Starbucks Barista
There are Starbucks locations everywhere and being a barista can be a great, flexible job option for felons. Starbucks has stated that they are open to hiring felons (though they do review one’s criminal record) and they are another company that signed the 2016 Fair Chance Business Pledge.
Being a Starbucks barista means mastering the creation of food and beverage products and energetically communicating with team members and clients. You can apply through the Starbucks website, which shows openings based on location.
Their hourly wage is approximately $15 to $17/hour. It is worth noting that Starbucks also offers a range of other employment opportunities besides just being a barista, such as corporate or manufacturing and distribution jobs.
4. Retail Associate
Jobs in retail can be an excellent choice for felons, as retail associates are needed in nearly every store and openings are frequent. Furthermore, many retail companies are open to hiring felons, among the largest being Walmart. Even within the store, there are a variety of different employment opportunities. For example, there are cashiers, who help customers check out and pay for their items, food and grocery stockers, who help keep fresh food on the shelves, general merchandisers, who help customers find what they need and more.
You can find all job descriptions and openings and apply through the Walmart website. The hourly wage for these positions varies from $12 to $22/hour. Other retail companies that are open to hiring felons and signed The Fair Chance Business Pledge include Under Armour, Staples, Tyson Foods, CVS Health, Gap, Best Buy and many more.
5. Uber Driver
Driving with Uber is one of the most flexible jobs for felons and with Uber signing The Fair Chance Business Pledge, it is another great second chance opportunity for felons. In order to sign up to be a driver through Uber, you simply navigate to the Uber website, tell them about yourself and your car, share your driver’s license and insurance and answer screening questions.
This process does include a background check, but it has been reported that Uber accepts approximately 10-15% of applicants with a felony conviction on their record. In 2021, Uber reported their drivers’ average hourly wages, which ranged from $25 to $37/hour in major cities. Uber Eats is another sector of Uber which is a great option for felons and reportedly pays an average of $21 an hour.
Things to Consider
While these are five common jobs for felons, offering hopes of being hired, there really are hundreds of options out there. It is also important to remember that most felon-friendly companies do still run background checks; however, if the company signed The Fair Chance Business Pledge, they have pledged to give felons an equitable chance at employment. Here is a list of organizations that have signed the pledge and are willing to promote second chances by giving jobs for felons.