2012 Should Be the Year of the Veteran and Military Spouse

With 2011 marking the year that we finally brought our troops home from Iraq, I think it is critical that we take the time to not only thank the men and women who served the nation during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, but to also do everything we can to help those who are leaving active duty and looking to re-enter the civilian world.

Last year it seemed there was a new initiative launched every week to help veterans and military spouses with their search for employment, and any and all support is both needed and very much appreciated by those seeking the jobs, but 2012 needs to be the year we execute and turn the initiatives into actual jobs for this most deserving group of patriots.

The year is off to a great start with several hiring events planned for the military community such as:

• VA for Vets Veteran Career Fair Expo being held in Washington, DC on January 18th
• Milicruit and ClearedJobs.Net virtual career fair being held online January 19th
• MOAA and Blue Star Families Military Spouse Symposium and Career Fair January 26th in San Diego, CA
• Milicruit West Coast virtual career fair focusing on California, Oregon, and Washington January 24th
• Milicruit Nationwide virtual career fair for veterans and military spouses February 23rd

There is no better way to show our appreciation to the men and women who served, and their spouses than to help them assimilate back into the civilian society with gainful employment. We speak to hundreds of employers every week, and we have yet to hear anyone say they would not want to hire a veteran, but the reality is we need to do much more. Employers can help by stepping up and adopting an actual military hiring strategy that will help them in seeking out the wide range of talent veterans and military spouses bring to the workforce.

The unemployment rate overall for veterans in November 2011 was at 7.2% which is lower than the national average, and speaks to the veterans ability and talent in keeping a job once they have it. For veterans between the ages of 18-24 the unemployment rate is a mind blowing 37.9% according to data compiled by the Institute for Veterans and military families at Syracuse University. Equally alarming is the unemployment rate for military spouses according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics was at 26% as of June 2011.

I offer this challenge to the Fortune 1,000 employers out there who benefit day in and day out from the service and sacrifice of the men and women who have served our country, hire 10 veterans and/or military spouses this year, and if we do just that, we can help 1 million find gainful employment in 2012.

There are tremendous tax advantages currently being offered to employers who hire veterans, but beyond the tax benefits, it simply makes good business sense to hire quality talent whenever and wherever we can find it, and veterans and military spouse represent some of the best talent available in the market. President Obama signed into law the VOW act in November of 2011 which provides employers up to a $9,600 tax credit if they hire a veteran with a disability.

Veterans Out of Work

• Vietnam Era Veterans: 236,000
• Cold War Era Veterans: 258,000
• Persian Gulf War Era Veterans: 182,000
• Iraq and Afghanistan Era Veterans: 192,000

As a society, we owe it to those who volunteered to protect our freedoms and way of life the opportunity to enjoy the fruits of their labor and sacrifice once they leave active service, and with just a little more focus and dedication, this is one initiative we can all get behind.

 

 

 

Comments

[MilSpouseBizInc]

06:02 PM on 01/13/2012

As a military spouse is so nice to see that the difficulties we face in the job market as we follow our serviced members from post to post in support of our nation. I hope employers will take your challenge. Thank you for recognizing how much talent there is within the military community.

[Jenpilcher]

02:49 PM on 01/11/2012

Dear Mr. O'Brien - thank you for writing such a great article. I am a military spouse and co-founder of Military1Click. We bring the military and the community together in 1 click and this is a perfect example of how the community and corporations are reaching out to military families. Yes, we have a budget crisis and yes, the DOD has severely cut back it's budget, however there are many programs, resources, education benefits, employment opportunties out there - it's just the military families are not aware of them. This is why we started our website and you wrote this article. 2012 can be the year of the military spouse because there has never been a time in history with so much focus on improving our lives. The community is embracing our military and they will hopefully continue with so many of them coming home and veteran unemploment is at an all time high. I remember hearing at a U.S. Chamber of Commerce event that, "hiring a Vet is not just the right thing to do - it's a smart thing to do." Military members and spouses have so much to offer and we are finally making that connection. Thank you for continuing to shine the light on military family issues - we also plan on making 2012 a great year for our military families connecting with our civilian communities. Best, Jen
Jen Pilcher, CEO Co-Founder, Military1Click, LLC
www.military1click.com

[Jennifer Morris Laws]

11:36 AM on 01/11/2012

I hope it's the year of the military family but I doubt it. All branches are cutting their numbers of personal and most all military families are worried if their service member will be able to stay in. People are being kicked out for ridiculous things while those who don't belong in are staying. They've made it very hard to reenlist in a lot of different MOS's and there are a lot more restrictions. My husband has almost ten years in and had planned on doing his full twenty but now no one knows if they'll be able to stay in or not. 2012 is starting out as a year of the unknown for many military families.

[householdsix]

10:17 AM on 01/11/2012

You can also help support those veteran's families by supporting HR 2288 Caring for Military Kids with Autism Act so that all military kids with autism can get services, not just those with active duty parents. Veterans who are forced to medically retire lose those benefits for their kids if they need it since retirees and reserve component soldiers' families aren't covered. cmkaa.org

[TheMilitaryLIfe]

10:03 AM on 01/11/2012

May as well up your Navy numbers by 2,947. That's the number of sailors the Navy let go via ERB. It's a sad time to be a military member.