Sixteen months. Sixteen long, stressful and frustrating months.
That’s how long I’ve been “unemployed.” And while I do have two small “micro part-time” jobs (read: just one weekend a month for one and just four hours a week for the other), I’m really missing being part of the full-time working culture. That and there are times I feel like a loser and leech on the system.
And while I’m in good company with many Americans, I’m in good company with even more military spouses. My situation is similar to many MilSpouses: I had a great, steady job, then my husband PCSed and I followed him. And here I am. Sixteen months later.
I was going to write this post tomorrow because I have what I am hoping is a third and final meeting with a company that I hope will be offering me a position (oh Mr. Murphy… I know I said those words but PLEASE leave me alone). I was hoping to write a post about a job offer and how long my journey was to employment.
However, while I was on Twitter tonight, I saw a Navy press release that states Defense Department launched a new partnership today (June 29) that's “intended to expand job opportunities for military spouses by connecting them with employers actively seeking to hire them.”
According to the press release, military spouses face an unemployment rate of 28 percent and a staggering 25 percent wage gap compared to their civilian counterparts. It goes on to say that of the military's 1.2 million spouses, 80 percent want to work, but have been held back by multiple moves and deployments.
That’s certainly true for me. I want to work. I want a career. I've had both before we PCSed. But it’s just so darn hard to find employment in this economy.
You can find more information about the Military Spouse Employment Partnership (which will include approximately 100 job fairs beginning in July) here or by going directly to the job search engine.
Obviously I’m not the only one who has struggled with finding a job due to my spouse’s career. Have you experienced unemployment and/or difficulty finding a job (especially a career job) due to your spouse's military career?
