It’s no secret that the Covid-19 pandemic and the economic climate have affected employment opportunities. But one group of people that have always fallen victim to high unemployment rates are military spouses.

With the chance of relocation at a moment’s notice and gaps in resumes, many employers often overlook and reject military spouses, leaving thousands without work or a stable income.

To put it into perspective, the unemployment rate for US military spouses now sits above 32%.

In fact, the past decade has been tough – figures hovered around 22% for some time until the pandemic came and shook things up further.

While the stigma around hiring military spouses being too much of a risk is very much still there, we’re here to tell you that companies should 100% consider military spouses when it comes to recruiting for their team!

Here’s why!

They’re flexible and adaptable

Flexibility and adaptability are part and parcel of a military spouse’s life. They have to be ready to take on whatever life throws at them.

At the drop of the hat, they may be asked to up-sticks to a different city, state, or even country and start a new life – adapting to new surroundings, cultures, people, and social norms along the way.

Business and work don’t come without their rollercoasters and challenges so having someone that’s adaptable to push through life’s pushbacks is a great asset.

They’re used to dealing with stress

Holding down a family and home on their own… Relocation when their partners are deployed…

Having a spouse in the military comes with an enormous amount of personal stress. It’s usually the job of the spouse to manage everything to do with the move, which requires a lot of skill and attention to detail.

It’s clear that military spouses are extremely headstrong, resilient, and adaptable people – it would take a lot for them to buckle under the pressures of working life!

They have lots of transferable skills

While they may have some gaps in employment, military spouses pick up and develop transferable skills throughout their daily lives. Some are overlooked but extremely important in the working world.

Skills include:

• Communication
• Finance management
• Emotional intelligence
• Event planning
• Adaptability
• Time management
• Empathy

(To name just a few!)

And it’s worth noting that because of the devastating unemployment rate, many military spouses spend their time volunteering for nonprofits. Here, they attain lots of new skills that are relevant and transferable in employment.

They’ll stick around longer than you think

Yes, relocation is inevitable as a military spouse, though it happens less often than you probably think.

On average, they have to relocate every two to four years. But it’s all about perspective and this shouldn’t put employers off recruiting talented (and well-educated!) military spouses.

Think of it this way. Job hopping is becoming the norm, particularly in the younger generations. People are sticking at the same job for a couple of years, then heading for pastures new.

Not actually much different from the time a military spouse would stay, right?

Of course, military spouses are more likely to stay at the same job and workplace too, after the stresses and inconvenience of unemployment. So they should be a welcomed addition to the team.

• LinkedIn
• Twitter
• Facebook

Our commitment to hiring military spouses

Client Cloudcare is a Salesforce consultancy made up of a crew of dedicated military family members and Veterans that are helping our mission to drive digital transformation for many organizations.

We’re committed to supporting a group with a high unemployment rate, but that’s not the only reason why our business is powered by the military community.

We’ve found that these people have grit and project management skills like no other. Not to mention their ability to navigate complex relationships, which is needed in a lot of corporate situations.

With the education, knowledge, and skills that our military community provides, we’re proud to continue to support military spouses get back into employment, all while providing quality Salesforce management for the SMEs and nonprofits we work with.

If you’re a business or nonprofit looking to get the most out of your Salesforce investment without the need of hiring an in-house team (whilst supporting our fantastic military community along the way!), get in touch with us!