Walmart yesterday announced that it will prioritize the hiring of military spouses, calling them “unsung heroes.” Retired Brig. Gen. Gary Profit, senior director of military programs for Walmart, said in a prepared that “they are tremendous assets to our business. Military spouses bring many of the same leadership qualities we see in veterans, yet they are disproportionately unemployed. We welcome them to Walmart and hope they will consider us for the next step on their career journey.”
Walmart said that the Military Spouse Career Connection complements the 2013 Veterans Welcome Home commitment, enhanced in 2015, to hire 250,000 military veterans by 2020, a goal it is on track to surpass next year.
The Department of Defense Military Spouse Employment Partnership says that “there are more than 500,000 active duty military spouses nationwide. While the U.S. jobless rate hovers at four percent nationally, military spouses face a 26 percent unemployment rate and a 25 percent wage gap compared to their civilian counterparts. A full 77 percent of these spouses want or need work, yet frequent relocation is often a barrier to finding and maintaining a rewarding career.”
Walmart said that the Military Spouse Career Connection complements the 2013 Veterans Welcome Home commitment, enhanced in 2015, to hire 250,000 military veterans by 2020, a goal it is on track to surpass next year.
The Department of Defense Military Spouse Employment Partnership says that “there are more than 500,000 active duty military spouses nationwide. While the U.S. jobless rate hovers at four percent nationally, military spouses face a 26 percent unemployment rate and a 25 percent wage gap compared to their civilian counterparts. A full 77 percent of these spouses want or need work, yet frequent relocation is often a barrier to finding and maintaining a rewarding career.”
- KC's View:
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Seems to me that this has the potential to be a transformational move by Walmart, creating a pool of dedicated, motivated employees that it can access in a wide variety of markets. It is all part of becoming an employer of choice, which matters all the more when labor is tight.
