For small manufacturers, machine shops and trades
You have open shifts. People with records want to work.
Hire them without guessing the rules.
Answer four questions to see which second-chance hiring supports apply to your next hire, what changed in 2026, and what to do first. It's free, there's no sign-up, and every fact links to a government source.
Run the free checkerManufacturing reported about 409,000 open jobs in August 2025, and manufacturers are turning to second-chance hiring to fill them (Manufacturing Dive).
Fair-chance hiring checker
This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change, so check with your state workforce agency, an employment lawyer or a tax professional before you act.
Coming next: the Fair-Chance Hiring Kit
This is a short, practical kit for owners who do the hiring themselves. It's in planning now, and early-list members get it first.
- Job-post wording that opens the door to people with records and still fits Massachusetts CORI rules
- An individualized-assessment worksheet built on the long-standing factors: the nature of the offense, the time since, and the job duties. It will be updated after the EEOC's October 30, 2026 vote on its 2012 guidance
- A step-by-step for the background-check adverse-action notices the FCRA requires
- How to request a free Federal Bonding Program bond, and what to file if WOTC comes back
- A first-90-days onboarding and mentor checklist written from the shop floor
Get on the early list
We'll email you once when the kit is ready. There's no spam, and we never sell or share your info.
Don't put any candidate's criminal-record details in this form. See our privacy note.
Sources
- IRS: Work Opportunity Tax Credit (covers hires who began on or before Dec 31, 2025; usual max $2,400; Form 8850 due within 28 days of the start date)
- Congressional Research Service: WOTC (authority lapsed Jan 1, 2026; past lapses were extended retroactively)
- Federal Bonding Program (U.S. DOL) ($5,000 bond, $0 deductible, first 6 months of employment, free to the employer)
- Mass.gov: Criminal records in employment and M.G.L. c.151B §4(9½)
- EEOC: 2012 arrest and conviction records guidance (EEOC meeting notice: a vote on rescinding it is scheduled for Oct 30, 2026)
- FTC: Using consumer reports (what employers need to know)