Walmart continues to make progress on the Veterans Welcome Home
Commitment with 226,637 veterans hired since Memorial Day 2013
BENTONVILLE, Ark.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Walmart today announced the hiring of nearly 6,000 military spouses
since launching the Military Spouse Career Connection (MSCC) on Veterans
Day 2018. In its sixth month, the MSCC gives hiring preference to
military spouses who seek employment with Walmart or Sam’s Club.
This announcement comes at a time when more than 75 percent of our
nation’s 500,000 military spouses want or need work, according to the Department
of Defense Military Spouse Employment Partnership. The MSCC serves
as a natural step for Walmart, as the company’s Military Family Promise,
now in its ninth year, also guarantees a job at a nearby store or club
for all military personnel and military spouses employed by the company
who move to a different part of the country as part of their military
service.
“Military spouses are a diverse, adaptable, educated and team-oriented
group of men and women,” said Retired Brig. Gen. Gary Profit, senior
director of military programs for Walmart. “They have many of the same
skills that veterans have, which makes them highly desirable job
candidates. It’s our honor to offer them opportunities here at Walmart
and beyond.”
“As a military wife, I feel like I served alongside my husband in a lot
of ways,” said Katie Tidmore, Walmart associate and first hire through
the Military Spouse Career Connection. “It was always so hard to find
steady or consistent work. I’m grateful to Walmart for such a wonderful
program.”
Beyond today’s announcement of the first hiring numbers for the MSCC,
the Walmart Foundation awarded a $1 million grant to Hire Heroes USA to
support the expansion of their employment programs and improve data
collection and reporting. Notably, a portion of the funding will support
a program manager for Hire Heroes’ Serving Spouses, a career coaching
program tailored specifically for military spouses who face unique
barriers to employment such as frequent moves, childcare challenges
while a spouse is deployed, and having to re-obtain certifications that
don’t transfer from state to state.
“We are grateful for the Walmart Foundation’s continued, generous
support of Hire Heroes USA. This investment will help us continue our
world-class program delivery for veterans and military spouses who face
unique challenges in the civilian job search. Further, the grant will
help us conduct critical data collection and analysis that will inform
the entire veteran service community,” said Christopher Plamp, chief
executive officer of Hire Heroes USA. “Through our partnership with
Walmart, we will continue to strengthen military families and improve
the lives of the men and women who have served our country.”
May also marks the sixth anniversary of Walmart’s Veterans Welcome Home
Commitment (VWHC) which guarantees a job offer to any eligible,
honorably discharged U.S. veterans who separated from active duty since
the inception of the VWHC on Memorial Day 2013. To date, more than
226,637 have been hired and more than 35,383 have been promoted to roles
with higher pay and greater responsibility at Walmart and Sam’s Club.
The commitment recognizes the important skills and leadership abilities
veterans bring to the civilian workforce, and helps veterans ease the
often-difficult transition from active duty to civilian life. Walmart is
now more than 90 percent of the way to reaching its goal of hiring
250,000 veterans by 2020.
For more information about Walmart’s commitment to veterans, service
members and military families, please visit: http://www.walmartcareerswithamission.com/
or http://corporate.walmart.com/global-responsibility/veterans-military-families/
and follow Walmart on Twitter @WalmartToday and @WalmartOrg.
*Editor’s Note: These projections and reported hires/promotions
include veterans hired under our original and expanded Commitment as
well as other veterans hired by Walmart in this time frame. While we
think it is particularly important to support soldiers as they make the
transition to civilian life, Walmart believes all veterans deserve our
respect and support, no matter when they left active duty.
Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT) helps people around the world save money
and live better – anytime and anywhere – in retail stores, online, and
through their mobile devices. Each week, over 275 million customers and
members visit our more than 11,300 stores under 58 banners in 27
countries and eCommerce websites. With fiscal year 2019 revenue of
$514.4 billion, Walmart employs over 2.2 million associates worldwide.
Walmart continues to be a leader in sustainability, corporate
philanthropy and employment opportunity. Additional information about
Walmart can be found by visiting http://corporate.walmart.com,
on Facebook at http://facebook.com/walmart
and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/walmart.
About Philanthropy at Walmart
Walmart.org represents the philanthropic efforts of Walmart and the
Walmart Foundation. By leaning in where our business has unique
strengths, we work to tackle key social issues and collaborate with
others to spark long-lasting systemic change. Walmart has stores in 27
countries, employing more than 2 million associates and doing business
with thousands of suppliers who, in turn, employ millions of people.
Walmart.org is helping people live better by supporting programs that
work to accelerate upward job mobility for frontline workers, address
hunger and make healthier, more sustainably-grown food a reality, and
build strong communities where Walmart operates. To learn more, visit www.walmart.org or
find us on Twitter @walmartorg.
About Hire Heroes USA
Hire Heroes USA is a veteran service organization dedicated to
empowering US military members, veterans, and their spouses as they seek
civilian employment. Services include one-on-one coaching,
professionally revised resumes, mentoring, workshops, a job board,
career fairs and more. Hire Heroes USA is funded exclusively through
public donations and private grants, allowing services to be provided at
no cost to clients. Hire Heroes USA has earned a 4-star rating from
Charity Navigator and also holds the GuideStar Platinum Seal of
Transparency. For more information about our mission, services and how
to get involved, please visit hireheroesusa.org and
follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter,
and Instagram.
Contacts
Blair Cromwell, Walmart
news.walmart.com/reporter
1-800-331-0085