As unemployment rates climb past 8%, we know from history that crime increases along side of unemployment. Because of this, organizations and businesses need to protect their reputation along with their doors. A simple addition to discourage crime and enhance a company's perception to their customers is through the use of ID cards while employees are on the job.



From 1970 to 1993 crime rose with the unemployment rate according to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports. The report goes further to show that during the period of 1992 to 1996 as the unemployment rate dropped there was a dramatic correlation in the drop of crime, particularly in poverty stricken areas. Other reports show that nearly a 9 percent drop in burglary, a 14 percent drop in rape and robbery and nearly a 30 percent drop in assaults can be a direct result of only a 2 percent drop in unemployment. With these statistics in mind we can assume the inverse as well. Since 2008 we have had a 3% increase in unemployment and based on these numbers that would indicate a 13.5% increase in burglary alone in 2009.

Directly tied to the unemployment are the number of corporate and personal bankruptcies that have taken place recently. According to the United States Insolvency Service there has been a 56% increase in insolvent businesses in the first quarter of this year over the same quarter in 2008. This equates to nearly 5,000 businesses that have become upside down financially in the first quarter of 2009. Additionally in the month of May 2009 there were over 120,000 personal and corporate bankruptcies filed. With these numbers it's easy to assume there are many newly unemployed and desperate people everywhere.

With statistics like these it should be clear that organizations need to protect their reputation and their property. Adding ID cards to your employees or members is a simple and effective way to enhance your security with identification. Identification cards also add to the perception of customers when employees are out of the office and add a sense of comfort to your customers and especially your prospective customers who are new to your business.

Barcodes, biometric scanners, RFID chips and many other security features can be added to enhance the security of your ID card solution. Technologies like these are continually becoming more affordable thanks to mass production and today's speed of technology. Even without these more costly solutions, simply by requiring employees and visitors to wear ID cards in your place of business can greatly add to your company's security. Today, thanks to the Internet, there are solutions available for both small and large companies through online security services that offer ID cards as their primary business. Companies like FullIdentity.com have also integrated services like background checks, RFID, holograms and whatever type of technology you want to implement into the security of your identification card solution.

As consumers are spending less and watching for opportunities to save every dollar they can, business has been difficult in this economy. Organizations need to be sure to take the best care of each customer as the search for new and repeat business becomes more difficult. Protecting a business's reputation by not allowing individuals to infiltrate your organization or impersonate your employee's is critical. ID cards can be an easy to implement and a huge factor in the verification of who someone says they are and add to a company's credibility.