Retail and grocery jobs for people with records

Programs that help employers say yes

• The Federal Bonding Program, set up by the U.S. Department of Labor in 1966, gives employers fidelity bonds when they hire job seekers whose backgrounds make it hard to get or keep a job, including people with criminal records. The bond covers the first six months of the job at no cost to the worker or the employer.^1,2A fidelity bond is insurance that pays the employer back, with no deductible, for loss of money or property caused by an employee's dishonest acts, such as theft, forgery, larceny or embezzlement. The Department of Labor's program page doesn't give a dollar amount. A 2013 Department of Labor notice says bonds can be issued for $5,000, $10,000, $15,000, $20,000 or $25,000, depending on the job's risk, and that $5,000 of coverage is enough for most job placements. That notice lists groups who can be bonded, including people with criminal records, people in recovery from alcohol or drug use, people getting TANF assistance, people with poor credit, low-income young people and adults with little or no work history, and people dishonorably discharged from the military. The worker must be an employee paid wages with federal taxes taken out; self-employed people are not eligible. After the six months, the notice says coverage can continue through another bond from an American Job Center or placement agency, or the employer can buy a bond at the regular commercial rate if no claim was paid for the worker's dishonesty.
• To get a bond, contact your state's bonding coordinator or a local American Job Center. A 2013 Department of Labor notice lists the program's toll-free line as 1-800-233-2258.^1,2That 2013 notice says every state has a bonding coordinator, that bonds in most states come through the state workforce agency, and that states make bonds available to American Job Centers and other placement agencies. Coverage starts on your first day of work and lasts six months. Bonds can also cover people already on the job who need bonding to avoid a layoff or to get a transfer or promotion. The program's website, which the Department of Labor links to, is bonds4jobs.com.
• WOTC applies only to people who began work on or before December 31, 2025. As of October 22, 2026, the IRS and Department of Labor WOTC pages still give that end date and don't say the credit has been renewed.^3,4,5,6The IRS's WOTC page (last reviewed or updated July 20, 2026) says the credit is available for certain people who begin work on or before December 31, 2025, and the Department of Labor's WOTC page says WOTC is authorized until that date. The IRS's Form 8850 page (last reviewed March 20, 2026) says the form is no longer in use. Arizona's workforce agency says that as of January 1, 2026, Congress had not renewed WOTC, and that it is still accepting applications and holding them to process if Congress renews the program. Check the IRS or Department of Labor page for the current status before bringing it up with an employer.
• CareerOneStop (careeronestop.org), a career training and job search website sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration, has a section for job seekers with criminal records.^7,8A Department of Labor reentry resources page describes this CareerOneStop portal as providing information, career guidance resources and tools to people with criminal records. The same page links to a CareerOneStop tool for finding a reentry program near you.
• There are about 2,300 American Job Centers across the country, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, which coordinates the system. They are designed to give job seekers a full range of help in one place.^9,10Services include career counseling, job listings, job search help, job referrals and training referrals, and you can visit a center in person or connect online. The Department of Labor says the system gives specialized attention and service to justice-involved people, among other groups. Some services have eligibility requirements, so check with your local center. You can find a center with CareerOneStop's American Job Center Finder or by calling the Department of Labor's toll-free help line, 1-877-US-2JOBS (1-877-872-5627).