38% Military Spouse Unemployment Rate: How We’re Changing This
Military spouses support those who defend our country’s freedoms. They sacrifice the comfort of a “home base,” their families move frequently, military families go through numerous separations and deployments. Why should Military Spouses have to sacrifice their careers and their professional identity?
The 38% Unemployment Rate
“The military spouse unemployment rate has jumped to 38%, but 56% of unemployed military spouses plan to return to the workforce within the next five months.” — Hiring Our Heroes Chamber of Commerce Foundation
“Bringing this [Military Spouse Unemployment] story to our nation’s consciousness is just the first step. To make meaningful change for our military families we must collectively commit to action. One sector or group can’t do it alone. It will take the collective impact of the legislative, corporate, government, and nonprofit partnerships to ensure the military spouse lifestyle is no longer a barrier to career success,” said Tony Wells, Chief Brand Officer for USAA.
According to the Association of the United States Army, “About 60% of military spouses say they are looking for full- or part-time jobs because their family needs two incomes for financial stability.
There are many barriers to jobs. “Almost half of unemployed military spouses said their service member’s day-to-day job demands were a barrier to employment. Another 18% said their service member’s deployment schedule made working nearly impossible,” the report says. “Forty-four percent of military spouses said the child care they needed in order to work was too expensive.”
Frequent moves do not help because jobs are often scarce on and near some military installations, the report says.”
Squared Away was founded by Michelle Penczak as a direct result of her own experiences in seeking a job due to frequent military relocations. Read more about Michelle’s experiences for what laid the framework for Squared Away.
How We Can Change This
Our team knows first-hand what it looks like to apply for a position and be turned down because of their military spouse status. Many of our teammates share that their military spouse status is “written all over their resume” due to frequently relocating and having to find a new position.
I’ve been there; I applied to, and was turned down from, 25 positions before ever connecting with Michelle about working with her. That many rejections in an already difficult military spouse job market takes a toll on your mental health. You start to question your worth and definitely it affects your family life.
In joining Squared Away, I dove in and never looked back. In mid-2017 when I started working with Michelle, it was Michelle Penczak Executive Assisting, which laid the framework for Squared Away later that year.
Why Don’t Employers Hire Military Spouses?
In our experiences, and after hundreds of interviews with military spouses, many employers don’t hire military spouses because they worry about the short tenure of the military spouse.
What many employers miss out on is a multitude of experiences ranging from superior personal and work-life management skills, unmatched resiliency, the ability to prioritize and manage high-stress situations, as well as a unique ability to think outside of the box to find creative solutions.
Our Mission Benefits our Military Spouses and our Clients
Squared Away’s mission is to employ military spouses while giving people their time back. We offer a fully remote work environment where we support military spouses across the U.S. and overseas. We offer a flexible work environment and work with our team to support them and their families as their lives evolve.
When our team moves to a new location with their service member, they can take their role with Squared Away with them. This also benefits our clients because it provides consistency with their trusted assistant.
Get ‘Squared Away’
If you’re a military spouse seeking employment, MOAA has a list of resources.
If you could use a few more hours in your day and are ready to support a military spouse, get Squared Away.
We’re in this together. 🇺🇸
Squared Away is comprised of military spouses who are your trusted assistants. We help CEOs, VCs, executives, and startup teams get their time back. US-based. #SquaredAwayLife #ChiefExecutiveAssistant
Drop by our social media and say hi👋 Instagram, Twitter & Facebook.
If you’re ready to get Squared Away, visit us at GoSquaredAway.com.
