Military spouse employment: current challenges and improvement needed

06/09/2017

By DVIDSHUB (Lane County Area Soldiers Reunite With Families)

Military spouses have been described as having “skills and advantages which are required in a modern business” that make them an asset to employers (Employers Network for Equaltiy and Inclusion, 2016). They possess desirable attributes such as adaptability, resilience, cultural awareness and well-developed communication and interpersonal skills gained by the variety of experiences and challenges they face as a result of military life. Despite this many military spouses in Australia and other countries report unemployment, underemployment and career dissatisfaction.

Employment challenges for military spouses

A recent survey reported that 81% of Australian military spouses (or ADF Partners as they are often referred to) have made employment sacrifices because of their partner’s Defence career, 14% are unemployed and 12% are underemployed. A 2011 survey reported 59% of spouses had changed jobs due a Defence relocation, the average length of time out of work following relocation was 5.4 months and over 50% of those who changed jobs earned less in the new location (Department of Defence, 2012). There has been extensive research in the USA where it is reported that military spouses have higher unemployment rates, lower wage earnings and face additional employment hurdles compared to their civilian counterparts.a

The employment challenges faced by military spouses include:

an inability to maintain periods of uninterrupted employment and gain seniority because of multiple relocations.
family responsibility workload due to the serving member’s commitments including frequent and/or lengthy absences from home.
influences of geographic location on the amount and type of work (remote and overseas locations in particular)
childcare availability
differing licencing and registration requirements across states and countries
workload associated with relocation that influences job searching and/or availability to work
employer bias (the reluctance of employers to hire spouses due to concerns about their longevity).

The impacts of unemployment and underemployment are wide reaching. There are negative effects on individual health and wellbeing (Trewick & Muller, 2014), which can extend to the family, financial impacts because the military member’s wage can essentially be a family wage, potential negative impacts on ADF capability and retention, and the economic impact of an underutilised group of working age Australians. b

Supporting the careers development of military spouses

Military spouses can benefit from career coaching to assist them make choices within the context of military life and to capitalise on the skills and opportunities that arise from their experience. Spouses will also benefit from assistance in recognising, valuing, communicating and marketing their valuable skills gained from all facets of life to potential employers and applying effective job search strategies. In order for career practitioners to be effective in assisting military spouses McBride and Cleymans recommend that practitioners “understand employment and education data related to this population, how they are similar to and different from civilian spouses, and how military spouses view their situations” (McBride & Cleymans, 2014, p. 92).

At present eligible Australian military spouses have access to up to $1500 for career services via the Department of Defence’s Partner Employment Assistance Program (PEAP) to cover the cost of services including coaching, resume writing and job search assistance as well as professional re-registration fees. c

However, individual career management is only one piece of the puzzle. In the US, UK and Canada individual job readiness is complemented by efforts to increase employer awareness of the benefits of hiring military spouses and to provide a means for military spouse job seekers to connect with employers who are committed to recruiting and retaining military spouses. There remains much scope for improved career and employment assistance in Australia to make being a military spouse an enabler not a barrier of employment (Recruit for spouses, n.d.). The addition of a sub-committee investigating Australian Defence Force partner employment to the Prime Minister’s industry-led Veteran Employment Program is a positive step in this direction.

See http://www.gao.gov/assets/660/650867.pdf (p3); US Dept of Defense http://download.militaryonesource.mil/12038/MOS/Reports/FY2012_Report_MilitaryFamilyReadinessPrograms.pdf (p17); Blue Star Families https://bluestarfam.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/BSF_final_Milspouse_Unemployment_infographic.pdf
In the US the economic impact of military spouse unemployment and underemployment has been estimated to be as high as $1billion. https://bluestarfam.org/milspouse-employment/
There is no requirement for these services to be provided by professionals with CICA recognised qualifications.

Contact Amanda McCue:

E: [email protected]
W: careerswag.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandalmccue/
Twitter: @al_mq