A new tool Amazon rolled out last week can help spouses of military service members find new work when their active-duty partner is relocated. The release follows the company's pledge in July to hire more than 100,000 U.S. veterans and military spouses by 2024.
On average, a military family moves every 2.5 years, creating problems for employers, which must deal with turnover, and for military spouses, who must change jobs frequently. Employers have to recruit, hire and train workers to replace those employees, and the relocated workers face a 22 percent unemployment rate and a 26 percent wage gap compared to their civilian counterparts, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.
Employers are often hesitant to hire military spouses, realizing their tenure likely will be short term.
Amazon, which employs more than 45,000 veterans and military spouses across the U.S., says its tool—Project Juno—will help the military spouses it employs maintain their Amazon careers when they move. The technology already has been successfully used to assist employees who are military spouses to find the same or a similar Amazon job when they move to their new town, according to a company news release.
SHRM Online collected the following news articles and resources on recruiting, hiring and training workers whose spouses serve in the U.S. military.
Wells Fargo Glide-Relaunch: Military Spouse Internship Program
The Glide-Relaunch Program is a paid eight-week internship-to-full-time-employment program that assists military spouses who've been out of the workforce for at least two years. Participants of this program are granted a significant string of benefits related to well-being, financial security, retirement and work/life balance. The program is aimed at helping military spouses launch a career with Wells Fargo.
(mymilitarybenefits.com)
First Lady Calls Military Spouse Employment a National Security Imperative
First Lady Jill Biden said military spouse employment is a national security imperative. During a virtual meeting Oct. 26, she referenced a report from her Joining Forces initiative and the National Security Council, which outlined the status of military spouse employment.
"The statistics are concerning," said Biden, a military mother and grandmother. "Almost 40 percent of military families said that they have considered leaving active-duty service because of challenges with spouse employment."
(U.S. Department of Defense)
Tips for Hiring Military Spouses
Whether you are specifically seeking military spouses to join your team or happen to stumble across a candidate who is a military spouse, there are some things you should keep in mind to get the most out of your recruiting efforts and take advantage of one of the most undertapped talent pools in the country.
(CEO Action/Booz Allen Hamilton)
SHRM Foundation Announces New Partnership with Defense Department
The SHRM Foundation was inducted into the Department of Defense Military Spouse Employment Partnership (MSEP) in October. The Foundation was one of 45 new MSEP partners, bringing the number of employers to 544.
"The SHRM Foundation is working to elevate military spouses who are often overlooked untapped talent in the workforce, and we are honored to become a member of the Department of Defense Military Spouse Employment Partnership," said Wendi Safstrom, executive director of the Foundation.
The Foundation's Veterans at Work initiative is "helping HR professionals, people managers and business leaders attract, hire and retain members of the military community," she said, "and we look forward to aligning with MSEP and other members of the partnership to increase opportunities for military spouses."
(SHRM)