Joining Forces

Joining Forces: Employment

Hiring veterans isn’t just the patriotic thing to do – it’s good for business.

Veterans and their spouses are among the most talented and skilled members of America’s workforce. However, due to the unique challenges they face, transitioning service members, veterans, and their spouses are confronted with obstacles impeding their employment prospects.

First Lady Michelle Obama participates in a service project.Joining Forces’ Employment Priorities

  • Promote expanded employment and career development opportunities for veterans and military spouses.
  • Highlight career and hiring resources for veterans and military spouses.
  • Educate employers about the business case for hiring veteran military spouses.
  • Work to reduce or eliminate licensing and credentialing barriers for transitioning service members, veterans, and their families.
  • Encourage veteran entrepreneurship and small business resources.

This Administration has taken steps to improve the transition from military service to civilian employment and has made significant progress to reduce veterans’ unemployment.

In August of 2011, the President challenged businesses to hire or train 100,000 veterans and military spouses. Since then, businesses have hired and trained more than half a million veterans and military spouses. Read our fact sheet on new private-sector commitments to train or hire veterans and military spouses.

Employment Resources

The Obama Administration has created employment resources such as the Veteran Employment Center and the Military Spouse Employment Portal to help veterans translate their military skills for the civilian workforce, built new online tools to aid veterans in their search for jobs, and partnered with the private sector to make it easier to connect our veterans with companies that want to hire them.

License Portability

The First Lady and Dr. Biden issued a call to action to all 50 U.S. governors to take executive or legislative action to streamline state licensing for service members, veterans, and their spouses by the end of 2015. Today, 46 states have answered this call by passing legislation that streamlines the ability for service members and veterans to obtain civilian certification and licensure. Check to see if legislation exists in your state: