Push is on to hire military spouses

FORT HOOD, Texas (KXAN) - The national unemployment rate stands at 8.3 percent.

But the rate for post-9/11 military veterans is nearly five percentage points higher.

Getting these men and women back to work is becoming a national priority. The help is also needed for military spouses who are seeking a paycheck.

To that end a job fair for military spouses will be conducted Wednesday at Fort Hood.

Holding on to a job can be tough even if you've lived in one city all your life. But with new deployments, military spouses who seek work face unique challenges.

 

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Hiring Our Heroes

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NBC News is partnering with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to promote a "Hiring our Heroes Military Spouse Hiring Fair". It runs from 7 a.m. to  noon Wednesday at Club Hood, 24th Street at Wainwright Drive on post. Registration has closed for military spouses, but employers are urged to attend.

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Sandee Payne owns an interior design business in Harker Heights that caters to the always on the move military families.

"We have a range of people and a range of lifestyle, so it's important that we're able to make our home, our home, and do it in a way so we can transport it as we (transfer) from station to station," said Payne.

She and her husband, Lt. Col. Michael Payne, have moved seven times so far. She tells her customers "resilience" is a requirement for military families.

"I've been in their shoes," Payne said. "I know where they're coming from. I've also had those same challenges."

The challenges are daunting now and into the future.

The commander of Fort Hood and the Army's III Corps, Commander Lt. Gen. Don Campbell Jr. , told a gathering on post that Wednesday’s job fair is filling a need.

“In my dialog with the folks that are setting that up, it is a very positive response," he said. "I can tell you from my spouse’s perspective, my wife’s perspective, of what she hears is a lot of excitement.

"We know that over next few years with the Army losing 80,000 soldiers going from what I said 570,000 to 490,000, that we've got to step up and be part of the solution."

Prospective employers in Central Texas are being asked to take a closer look at military spouses and understand their special needs and talents.

They are asked to be mindful of the sacrifices of members of the armed forces.

"There are a lot of stresses. We never know when we're going to be called upon to move or when a soldier is going to ask to be deployed," said Payne.

Another job fair for military members is also scheduled at Fort Hood on April 17.