Over the past decade, workforce participation rates in Kentucky have ranked among the lowest in the nation. In response, the Kentucky Chamber Foundation launched the Kentucky Comeback initiative in 2020.
Ryan Bowman, director of partnerships for the foundation, said businesses have expressed continued frustration with finding employees statewide, and he believes giving opportunities to those who have struggled with long-term unemployment can help fill the gap.
"Where we want to get more people from the sidelines that are willing and able to work, that are qualified to work, that do have some barriers to employment, give them the opportunity by showing businesses tools and resources that they have available to them," Bowman outlined.
According to research from Stanford University and the National Safety Council, the opioid crisis has severely hurt the nation’s workforce, causing higher rates of worker absenteeism and impaired worker performance. It also has resulted in more on-the-job accidents, injuries and overdoses.
Barbara Aker, corporate director for Richmond Baking and More Than A Bakery, two production bakeries in Woodford County, said a family connection to substance abuse led her to open up new second-chance hiring pathways for the formerly incarcerated. A referral program has now created a steady pipeline of workers.
"We also have leaders growing within our organization. So of that 10%, almost all have been promoted once, if not twice, within our bakery walls," Aker explained.
Improving employment opportunities for people with criminal records also involves expanding access to expungement services. The Kentucky Chamber Foundation currently partners with Goodwill of Kentucky and Legal Aid of the Bluegrass to hold expungement clinics.
