1. It’s good public relations. Become a hero by letting it be known that you’re interested in hiring the best folks for the job, regardless of their current employment status. This will not only benefit your brand, but it may draw talent to your company (people who like the way you do business) and inspire loyalty among the staff.  

2. Potential tax breaks. In 2010, the IRS offered two tax breaks to employers who hired people without jobs as part of the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment (HIRE) act. Another new law offers incentives to businesses that hire unemployed veterans, enabling companies to claim a tax credit of $5,600 or more if the service member has been looking for work for six months or longer.  

3. You may be overlooking strong candidates. Don’t automatically blame someone for their unemployed status. The conventional wisdom — that companies let go of their least effective or least productive workers — collapses when companies shut down entire divisions or departments or go through multiple rounds of layoffs. “There’s so many reasons one could be unemployed, due to no fault of his or her own,” says Helen Norton, a law professor at the University of Colorado Law School who testified before the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission about discrimination issues affecting the jobless.

4. Your churn rate will decline. Someone who’s been out of work for a while won’t be in a hurry to move to another job. They are highly motivated to keep their job and may be among your most loyal workers.

5. Don’t let others define good employees for your company. Hiring someone who is currently employed doesn’t necessarily mean you’re hiring the best candidate. It means you’re hiring someone who fits another company’s definition of a superstar. Good recruiters, and good hiring managers, know that a superstar at one company can crash and burn at another. Find the person who will be a superstar for you, not someone else.

via One Thing New

PS: Find more Unemployed/Recession Casual-Tees, mugs, hats & more here