A small but growing number of private companies are finding that religious groups can “recruit, screen and even help manage larger numbers of new employees, especially at the entry level,” reports the New York Times (Nov. 6). The new church involvement in job counseling and screening has been helped by the growth of government involvement in faith-based issues in the workplace. With these new faith-based initiatives working in cooperation with the Labor Department, a number of employers have built relationships with religious leaders. For instance, the CVS Corporation has teamed up with inner-city churches to launch a job recruitment program.
An official with the corporation said that half of the applicants hired through church efforts have stayed in their jobs for at least a year compared with fewer than a sixth of recruits in general. This may be because ministers screen prospective employees for the company, making sure they meet the desired qualifications. Entrepreneurs in the career counseling industry have also created new relationships with religious organizations. The Chicago-based Work Ministry has expanded to 132 programs in 25 states, assisting religious groups in helping their members and community members find jobs.