Second Chance Employment in Australia

Second chance employment is the practice of hiring people with a criminal record - giving them an opportunity to work, earn an income and rebuild after contact with the justice system. It is sometimes called justice-impacted employment, fair-chance hiring, or throughcare employment. In Australia, this includes people who have served custodial sentences, people on community-based orders, and people with historical convictions.

Yes, but with limits. Employers can ask about criminal history where it is relevant to the inherent requirements of the job (and many roles require National Police Certificates). However, you cannot use a criminal record to discriminate against a candidate where the conviction is not relevant to the role. The Australian Human Rights Commission Act 1986 sets the framework. Reboot Australia provides guidance to host employers on what questions are appropriate and how to assess relevance.

Higher retention rates, lower turnover costs, eligible social-procurement spend, ESG and DEI reporting outcomes, and access to a motivated talent pool that other employers overlook. Many businesses also report that their second-chance hires become long-term, loyal employees who go on to mentor others.

Every candidate is interviewed in person or via video by our recruitment team. We assess work history, skills, tickets and licences, transport, presentation, communication, confidence, barriers to employment and likely support needs. We then prepare them for the workplace - resume, mock interview, expectation setting - before any placement is made.

Reboot stays involved after placement. Our lived-experience mentors check in with both the worker and the host employer through the first 90 days, and beyond on request. If issues arise - performance, communication, attendance - we help work them through before they become reasons to end the placement.

Construction, mining, logistics and transport, warehousing and distribution, manufacturing, hospitality, landscaping and civil works. We place across all Australian states and territories, with strong networks in WA, VIC, NSW and QLD.

Both. We offer Labour Hire (where Reboot is the employer of record and places the worker with a host business) and Permanent Recruitment (direct hire into the employer's workforce). Many businesses start with labour hire to assess fit, then convert successful placements to permanent.

Our charge rates are competitive with mainstream labour hire and recruitment providers. The difference is what comes with the placement: pre-screening, preparation, throughcare support, and social procurement-eligible spend. Many clients find total cost of ownership is lower because retention is higher.