Economics

Ex-Cons Confront Labor Market That’s Likely to Leave Them Behind

  • People with criminal records often laid off first in downturn
  • Before Covid-19 pandemic, opportunities were slowly growing
Eric Hughie in New York, on June 16.Photographer: Jackie Molloy/Bloomberg
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Eric Hughie felt lucky to land a job making eyeglasses in January. Then his job vanished, along with 40 million others, as the coronavirus tore through America.

But Hughie confronts an even steeper road than most of nation’s newly unemployed: He is a convicted criminal.