More than 100 construction companies have joined forces in committing to hiring more than 100,000 veterans over the next five years.
First announced in a Wall Street Journal op-ed written by First Lady Michelle Obama, the move is part 0f Joining Forces, a White House initiative to find more private sector jobs for U.S. military veterans.
As part of the announcement, Bechtel Corporation executive Larry L. Melton called veterans “invaluable to the construction industry,” noting that “men and women who serve in the military often have the traits that are so critical to our success: agility, discipline, integrity, and the drive to get the job done right.”
“All men and women who have sacrificed for our country in our armed services deserve opportunities for good jobs worthy of their character and their achievements,” said U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez. “The Department of Labor will do whatever it takes to help our veterans translate their skills and leadership into jobs, and I am inspired by the commitment displayed today by the construction industry and all our partners in helping to achieve that mission.”
The news is good news to both veterans and the construction industry at large as it will no doubt fuel the 2.6-percent annual growth by 2022 forecasted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The BLS expects the industry to add 1.6 million jobs by that time. The industry added 48,000 jobs in January, the largest monthly gain in nearly seven years.
In January, Hire a Hero, a similar hiring initiative for veterans run by the Armed Forces Support Foundation, announced that it had seen difficulty placing veterans in construction jobs. The foundation announced that it would launch Staff a Hero, a staffing company creating temp-to-hire positions and providing additional training for veterans.
In the op-ed, Obama notes that veterans have difficulty finding jobs once returning home since their military resumes aren’t always clear indicators to prospective employers of their skill sets.
