Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump took action Wednesday to make it a little easier for the nation’s military spouses to find employment as their families deploy domestically and abroad.
The President signed an executive order aimed at increasing opportunities for military spouses to obtain federal jobs and encouraging agencies to increase their use of the noncompetitive hiring authority for military spouses. Trump said he hoped the executive action would encourage private-sector businesses to follow suit in their hiring practices.
Speaking to a crowd of military spouses at the White House, the President said, “Your support is essential to making our military the mightiest fighting force in the world and getting stronger all the time.”
He continued, “We can never repay you for all that you do. We know what you do, and your spouse knows what you do. We can never repay you for that, but we can and we will give you the opportunities you deserve.”
The unemployment rate for military spouses is 16%, four times the national average for female adults, a statistic the President noted.
A survey of military families released last June from Hiring Our Heroes, a US Chamber of Commerce foundation, found that unemployment and underemployment are major challenges for the spouses of service members, 92% of whom are female. Among military spouses who are employed, 14% are in part-time jobs and half…
