Spouses of our military men and women have stresses that most people don’t understand. In addition to the dangerous and unpredictable nature of their spouses’ profession and the responsibility of often being separated from their spouse for long periods of time; military spouses face daily challenges in a number of other areas. One of the most relevant and timely challenge is finding employment.
According to the Department of Defense, surveys show 85 percent of the military’s 1.2 million spouses either want or need to work. With financial hardships a continued concern for military families and a potential cause for security clearance problems, promoting viable employment opportunities for military spouses has benefits for the active duty force.
Military spouses often have trouble finding and sustaining employment for a variety of reasons. Frequent relocation and employer bias have been two of the largest impediments for unemployed wives and husbands of military personnel. Their frustration has grown in the past few years due to overall unemployment across the country; and due to their special needs and circumstances, employers have often been unable or unwilling to work with them. The good news is that many national companies are now stepping up and trying to do their part in support of the military family.
Recently, 34 nationally known companies and corporations have pledged to work with military spouses that have joined the Military One Source Spouse Employment Partnership. The companies listed below, including several defense contractors, have promised to hire and promote the careers of military spouses.
Rob Gordon, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military and Family Policy, is directly responsible for programs and policies which establish and support community quality of life programs for service members and their families worldwide. In a recent interview, he noted that the idea is to have a variety of companies with a variety of jobs for military spouses.
He stated, “We’re not just talking about jobs, we’re talking about careers.”
The Military Spouse Employment Partnership provides a digital platform for employers to have direct access to Military Spouses seeking jobs. Some 22,000 military spouses have been hired since the program was launched last June.
The following companies are offering targeting more positions for military spouses:
- Automatic Data Processing, Inc.
- Apex Systems
- Apple One Employment
- Armed Forces Services Corporation
- Association of the U.S. Army
- Bozzuto Group
- Centurian Security
- Clear Channel Radio
- Commander, Navy Installations Command
- Department of Defense Education Activity
- East Carolina University
- *Elbeit Systems of America
- Goodwill Industries
- H2 Performance Consulting
- Humana Inc.
- L-3 Stratis
- Liberating Career Solutions
- Marine Corps Community Services
- MetLife
- Mid-Atlantic HERC
- MTC
- Safeway (Vons)
- Schwan’s Food Co.
