A damning new report has uncovered a troubling pattern in Florida's labour market, where hundreds of thousands of workers with criminal records are being driven into temporary staffing agencies that offer lower wages and no benefits.
The Temp Trap for Former Inmates
According to field research published in The Temp Trap, the temporary employment industry has become the default entry point after incarceration for former prisoners in Florida. More than 70% of individuals returning home from prison in southern Florida seek work through temp agencies within three years of their release.
The non-profit organisation Beyond the Bars, which advocates for workers with criminal records, found that 57% of respondents couldn't secure full-time employment paying minimum wage within a year of leaving prison. Former prisoners described feeling disposable within a system that keeps them in temporary roles without pathways to permanent positions.
Systemic Wage Suppression and Worker Exploitation
Temp agencies and labour pools have become the primary employers willing to hire individuals with criminal records, often providing the flexibility needed to accommodate state supervision, curfews, and mandatory court appointments. However, these agencies profit by charging employers fees while assuming workers' compensation risks.
Maya Ragsdale, co-executive director of Beyond the Bars and report co-author, revealed: There are warehouses in Florida that are entirely staffed by temp workers. The management is hired directly by the host employer, while all line staff come through temporary agencies.
The financial impact is substantial. Temp agency workers in construction earn approximately $6.47 less per hour than permanent direct hires, equivalent to $13,458 in lost annual income. Warehouse temp workers make about $3.38 less per hour, losing $7,030 per year compared to permanent staff.
Personal Stories Highlight Systemic Failure
Felix, a Beyond the Bars member, shared his experience: Before my incarceration, I managed an Office Depot. After release, better jobs were closed to me because of my record. With probation requiring employment and court fees due, I ended up at a temp agency doing construction work I'd never done before.
Another worker, Cam, described working nine years as a temp for the same construction company: I performed the same tasks as direct employees, sometimes more, but they never offered me a permanent position due to my record. No benefits, no security just years of labour treated as disposable.
The scale of this issue is enormous in Florida, where approximately 6.2 million people about 36% of the state's population have criminal records. Over 164,000 Floridians are under state supervision, with 157,000 incarcerated in state prisons and another 55,763 in county jails on any given day.
A 2022 National Employment Law Project survey found alarming conditions among temp workers: 24% reported wage theft, 17% experienced work-related injuries or illness, and 71% faced retaliation for raising workplace concerns with management.
Beyond the Bars is calling for significant reforms, including changes to probation requirements, stricter regulations for temp agencies and host employers, improved worker protections, expanded training programmes and union jobs, and a crackdown on subsidy abuses within temporary employment systems.
