New website helps military spouses find jobs
Published: June 29, 2011
WASHINGTON -- With unemployment among military spouses at 26 percent, the Defense Department is kicking off a new program to help spouses find jobs.
The Military Spouse Employment Partnership website allows spouses to enter their zip code and see what jobs are being offered by employers in their area who have partnered with the Defense Department specifically to hire military spouses.
More than 70 businesses are working with the Defense Department including Johns Hopkins Medicine, Humana Military Healthcare Services, AT&T, Bank of America and Microsoft.
The website is designed to be simple for military spouses to navigate, said Robert L. Gordon III, the defense official who oversees Military Community and Family Policy.
"We want to make sure that you're getting to where you need to go in two clicks and you say, 'I see it,' and you're going to stay at the site," Gordon told reporters on Tuesday.
The program is being started in the United States, but the Defense Department has also partnered with South Korea's chamber of commerce, said Aggie Byers, who is in charge of spouse education and career opportunities programs.
"They have many, many companies who are already signed up with the Korea Chamber of Commerce who are eager to hire American military spouses," she said.
