The Corrections Department has acknowledged the economic downturn has made it harder to find jobs for prisoners.
Under a departmental programme, selected low-security inmates who are nearing the end of their sentence are allowed out of prison during the day to work in the community.
The department has previously denied claims by the Corrections Association that the recession is having a negative effect on prisoner employment and training.
The latest issue of Corrections News says work was found for 548 prisoners last financial year, down from 607 placements the previous year.
In the article, employment operations manager Phil Harman says the department is running two days of training so prison officers can "hone their skills" in persuading prospective employers to give prisoners a job.
