As military spouses struggle with their decades-long effort to more easily get — and keep — employment, especially after military moves, steps taken by Congress, the Defense Department, administration agencies and the private sector are aiming to ease that burden.
Though the military spouse unemployment rate has stubbornly remained over 20% for more than a decade, new resources designed to help are added every year. Here are some examples of this year’s efforts.
Overseas remote work: A new agreement between the Pentagon and State Department eases some restrictions for federally employed military spouses who want to continue their careers when moving overseas.
The arrangement strengthens the Domestic Employees Teleworking Overseas program for military spouses, with DOD and State Department officials working to help federally employed spouses work remotely where their spouse is stationed.
Paid fellowships: Defense officials this year opened the Pentagon’s paid fellowship pilot program to more spouses by including entry-level jobs. DOD pays the salary of military spouses placed in 12-week fellowships with public and private sector employers.
The Military Spouse Career Accelerator Pilot — now in year two of a three-year test — provides early career opportunities for younger spouses, in addition to “career-ready” fellowships for spouses with more education and experience.
Spouses of active-duty, reserve and National Guard troops can apply for a 12-week fellowship. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Hiring Our Heroes program pairs applicants with available fellowships.
Business costs reimbursement: Military spouses can now be reimbursed for up to $1,000 for certain business costs when moving. Such moves pose difficulties for business-owning spouses, who may take revenue hits or shutter altogether while navigating new regulations.
The military will reimburse at least some costs associated with moving, business equipment removal, new equipment, information technology, business permits, registration and inspections.
More connections to jobs, educational opportunities
Other long-standing programs continue to help military spouses with education and careers. More than 850 employers have worked with the Military Spouse Employer Partnership program since 2011, with more than 340,000 military spouses hired.
Through the MSEP site, spouses can search jobs posted by corporations, government agencies, nonprofits and universities, among others. Each organization is vetted to ensure they recruit, hire, promote and retain military spouses.
In partnership with that program, Hiring Our Heroes and the Blue Star Families’ Do Your Part campaign launched the 4 + 1 Commitment in December 2023 to tackle spouse unemployment. Spouse-friendly employment commitments — in addition to job transferability — include remote or telework options, flexible schedules and paid leave for PCS moves.
The Pentagon’s My Career Advancement Account Scholarship program provides eligible military spouses with up to $4,000 toward a license, certification or associate degree necessary to employment, with assistance capped at $2,000 per fiscal year.
Generally, eligible spouses are those married to active-duty troops ranked E-1 to E-6, W-1 to W-2 and O-1 to O-3.
Finally, DOD’s Spouse Education and Career Opportunities program, the umbrella for spouse employment resources, offers free one-on-one career coaching on licensure requirements, employer connections, school programs and training options.
Spouses should check with their local family center for more employment resources.
Karen has covered military families, quality of life and consumer issues for Military Times for more than 30 years, and is co-author of a chapter on media coverage of military families in the book “A Battle Plan for Supporting Military Families.” She previously worked for newspapers in Guam, Norfolk, Jacksonville, Fla., and Athens, Ga.
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