In a significant expansion of second-chance hiring, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is creating a direct employment pipeline for formerly incarcerated individuals at Newark Liberty International Airport, a move officials say will help returning citizens find work while meeting new federal requirements needed to maintain public benefits.
The initiative, developed in partnership with the New Jersey Reentry Corporation, the Port Authority’s Office of Second Chance Employment, and the Council for Airport Opportunity, connects qualified applicants with jobs ranging from forklift operator and warehouse positions to food service, baggage handling, logistics support, and snow-removal assignments, while providing the training and documentation needed to satisfy new work and community-engagement requirements under H.R. 1.
The federal law, enacted earlier this year, requires certain Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients to document qualifying work, education, job training, treatment, or other approved community-engagement activities to maintain eligibility for benefits.
New Jersey officials estimate that hundreds of thousands of residents could be affected by the new reporting requirements, increasing the importance of workforce development and job-placement programs that can help individuals document qualifying activities.
“For many individuals, employment is no longer simply about earning a paycheck,” said James E. McGreevey, the former governor who serves as executive director of the New Jersey Reentry Corporation. “It is about maintaining health coverage, preserving access to food assistance, supporting one’s family, and building a productive future.”
McGreevey credited Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole and Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s administration for helping create the airport employment pipeline, calling it a model for how public agencies can address workforce shortages while expanding opportunities for people seeking a second chance.
“Chairman Kevin O’Toole, the Port Authority, the Office of Second Chance Employment, and the Council for Airport Opportunity have demonstrated extraordinary leadership by creating a direct pipeline from training, digital readiness, and credentialing to employment at Newark Airport,” McGreevey said. “This is about giving people a genuine opportunity to work, support their families, and build productive futures while helping employers fill critical positions.”
NJRC officials said the Newark Airport initiative demonstrates how workforce development programs can connect qualified applicants with employers willing to consider candidates with criminal records, while helping businesses fill critical workforce needs.
Since its founding, NJRC has helped place more than 14,200 participants into jobs and awarded over 10,000 industry-recognized credentials, while maintaining a verified three-year recidivism rate of 14.01%