Michelle Obama Announces 100,000 Jobs for Veterans

FLOTUS creates public-private partnership to help unemployed vets

First Lady Michelle Obama has announced commitments made from national organizations and companies to hire 100,000 veterans and their spouses. The announcement, made before the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, occurred the same day the Senate passed the veterans portion of President Barack Obama’s American Jobs Act.

The International Franchise Association (IFA), which represents 1,100 franchises, promised to hire 80,000 veterans and military spouses by 2014. Five-thousand of those jobs will be promised to wounded warriors.  The Military Spouse Employment Partnership (MSEP), which includes nearly 100 companies and organizations, has committed to employ 20,000 military spouses, according to a White House press release. Companies include Microsoft, UPS, Home Depot and Citi.

“When we think about what we’re announcing today, 100,000 new jobs committed and 550,000 searchable jobs online, those aren’t just numbers. There are millions of Americans all across this country who are working hard every day to find new ways to honor military families’ service,” said First Lady Michelle Obama. “All of this is adding up and thanks to the IFA and MSEP, they’re part of the wave of support forming that stretches across this country.”

The Joining Forces initiative, launched by Mrs. Obama and Jill Biden, has created a Veterans Job Bank tool to help veterans find job online.

“Franchising, due to its structured, scalable model, is an engine of job creation and provides a tremendous opportunity for returning veterans and their families to join the franchise industry and help lead the country to economic recovery. We are grateful and proud to be part of the White House Joining Forces Initiative,” said IFA President & CEO Steve Caldeira.