Are you an employer interested in partnering?
Military spouse unemployment has been a long-standing issue. Pre-pandemic, the unemployment rate for military spouses was about 24%; meanwhile, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the civilian unemployment rate in February 2020 was 3.5%. As you can imagine, the COVID-19 pandemic magnified this challenge for our military families — both past and present. In fact, our 2021 Military Family Lifestyle Survey found that, during the pandemic, 42% of working spouses reported they lost their jobs, with the most common reason being a furlough or layoff.
Active-Duty, Guard & Reserve Spouses
Veteran Spouses
Caregiver Spouses
"Military spouses are critical to the community and family unit. It is well known that military spouses face unique employment challenges compared to their civilian counterparts, which hinders their careers, family livelihood and the broader military community. Our companies are committed to helping address this critical issue and support the livelihood of our military families and their communities."
Chief Executive Officers of Navy Federal, PenFed, and USAA
"Military spouses are the backbone of their families and defense communities, which is why our mission to figure out why they continue to face employment challenges is so important. Through this multi-year research project, we're hoping to uncover barriers and work towards solutions, together."
Mary McDuffie, President and CEO of Navy Federal Credit Union
"We all have a joint mission to serve those who serve, which means also taking care of military spouses. Now more than ever, military spouses are struggling with employment and underemployment, and we want to do something about it."
Mary McDuffie, President/CEO of Navy Federal Credit Union
"PenFed is proud to be a part of the historic partnership to spotlight and focus efforts on military spouse employment challenges. PenFed has served the military and defense community for over 86 years, and we truly value the wealth of skills and knowledge military spouses bring to our team."
James Schenck, President and CEO of PenFed Credit Union
"Strong military families are an important foundation of our country. For nearly 100 years, USAA has served them proudly with products, services and philanthropic support to help them achieve financial security. We're delighted to join with Navy Federal, PenFed, and Blue Star Families to multiply the impact of our efforts to find solutions that will leverage military spouses' value and keep military families strong. Contributing to this spouse employment initiative is a natural extension of USAA's ongoing commitment to our mission to serve."
Wayne Peacock, President and CEO of USAA