Almost nine in 10 (88.9 per cent) Irish employers said they would consider hiring someone with a history of convictions.
However, barriers remain for employers and potential employees with previous convictions, according to a report commissioned by the Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT).
The research, entitled The Secondary Punishment: A Scoping Study on Employer Attitudes to Hiring People with Criminal Convictions, shines a light on employer attitudes towards hiring people with convictions.
It also examined whether people with convictions face discrimination in accessing decent and sufficient work and the impact this can have on being able to live fulfilled lives.
This is the first time dedicated research on employer attitudes to people with convictions has been published in Ireland.
In 2023, Dr Joe Garrihy and Dr Ciara Bracken-Roche, of Maynooth University, carried out a scoping study comprising a survey with 55 participants, 23 interviews and a participatory symposium to inform the research.
They found that 97 per cent of employers agreed that employment plays a key role in helping to reintegrate people with convictions into society.
However, 95% of people with lived experience of convictions and 92% of employers agreed that there are barriers to employment for people with convictions in Ireland.
IPRT executive director Saoirse Brady said: “There’s an assumption that when someone leaves prison or finishes their community service, the punishment is over.
“But we know people continue to face ‘secondary punishment’ as their conviction will follow them for years – even decades – and intrude on many aspects of their lives.
“We know these individuals have skills, experience and qualities that would benefit workplaces, but we also know from our work they are all too often overlooked, despite making up a substantial part of the potential workforce.
“Employment enables people to give back – to their family, community, and the economy – and helps to make society a safer place.
“Employers are eager, with the right information, support and resources, to support this important journey for people with convictions and tap into this under-used pool of talent.
“Understanding employers’ perspectives will help us and others to work alongside them to dismantle the barriers, both real and perceived, that can stand in the way of recruiting people with convictions.
“This research reminds us of the changes we must continue to make as a society to ensure that, once a person has served their sentence, they don’t go on to face a lifetime of discrimination.”
Report author Dr Garrihy said: “The case for fair hiring practices is clear. The benefits far outweigh the risks, perceived or otherwise, and this is borne out in exponentially growing international scholarship and case studies.”
Fellow report author Dr Bracken-Roche said: “In many countries, this type of vetting by employers is counter to privacy law.
“In Ireland, employers currently lack evidence-based approaches and guidance to help them develop and implement inclusive and fair policies and practices for people with convictions.”
Ms Brady called on the government to progress legislative reform that promotes inclusivity and anti-discrimination for people with convictions.
She said that the current ongoing review of the Employment Equality and Equal Status Acts should recommend the inclusion of an additional ground of discrimination based on criminal conviction as well as a ground based on socio-economic status.
