Contributed by America's Career Force
Military spouse unemployment is triple the national average but according to non-profit, America’s Career Force, Inc., military spouse unemployment can be eliminated with remote careers.
Researchers have studied the military spouse unemployment problem for years and numerous programs like Hiring Our Heroes and Joining Forces, have been developed to help military spouses find jobs and provide training. These programs have provided military spouses with a national platform and have started the conversation about military spouse unemployment with companies across America.
Although great strides have been made to include military spouses within corporate Diversity and Inclusion programs, the fact remains military spouse unemployment hovers at triple the national average, which can be directly attributed to the transient military lifestyle and traditional careers. According to a study conducted by the Institute for Veterans and Military Families, the military moves 10 times more than civilians, making it 10 times more difficult for a military spouse to have a traditional, professional career.
Leigh Searl, a military spouse and President of America’s Career Force, a non-profit focused on eliminating military spouse unemployment through remote, flexible careers, initiated a program called, Operation Hire Just One, which encourages employers to Hire Just One military spouse for a remote career. Leigh said, “Military spouse unemployment is a multi-faceted issue but the key to resolving the severe unemployment rate is remote, portable careers so that regardless of their geographic location, military spouses can continue to pursue a career alongside their active duty spouse.”
Military spouses who are seeking a professional career alongside their active duty spouse encounter challenges their civilian counterparts do not face. Remote careers are often seen as a luxury for civilians but for military spouses they are the key to their ability to have a professional career.
Many large companies like Kaplan, Aetna and PepsiCo offer remote jobs in fields like teaching, telehealth and human resources and these companies actively recruit America’s military spouses.
Large corporations are not the only solution to military spouse employment opportunities. According to the Small Business Administration’s most recent statistics there are 27.9 million small businesses and Leigh suggests, “Not every job is suitable to be remote, but there is at least one job in every company that can be remote. If companies hire just one military spouse to fill one remote job, we can eliminate military spouse unemployment.”
Kathy Roth-Douquet, CEO of Blue Star Families, said, “The No. 1 reason we have this crippling problem is that it’s invisible. No one knows about it, and no one cares about it when it’s the individual’s problem. When it’s the individual’s problem, it’s not solvable.” Military spouse unemployment has implications beyond the individual and impacts the military family unit as a whole.
America’s Career Force’s, Operation Hire Just One is a different kind of military spouse employment program because it’s focused solely on remote careers. America’s Career Force connects companies that offer remote careers with military spouses seeking to have a remote career. It is the only program out there specifically designed to support the transient military lifestyle. Remote careers not only provide military spouses with professional employment opportunities but they provide stability and financial resources for the military family as well.
Operation Hire Just One educates employers on the benefits military spouse talent offers and the challenges military spouses face. America’s Career Force connects employers with professional military spouses seeking remote employment and bridges that talent gap. This free service is aimed at eliminating military spouse unemployment and strengthening the military family. America’s Career Force is encouraging companies across America to get involved in Operation Hire Just One and eliminate military spouse unemployment.
To find out more go to www.americascareerforce.org and register as an Employer to gain free access to the America’s Career Force, military spouse and veteran talent pool.
Leigh Searl is Founder of VNOTES, training tools to make veteran hiring easy.
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