 Construction Industry Companies Pledge to Hire U.S. Veterans
More than 100 construction companies—many of whom are direct competitors—are coming together to announce that they plan to hire more than 100,000 United States veterans within the next five years. They made this commitment not just because it's the patriotic thing to do, and not just because they want to repay our veterans for their service to our country, but because these companies know that it's the smart thing to do for their businesses. The construction industry is one of the fastest growing in the country and the move will help companies grow and boost the U.S. economy for decades to come.
The commitment was announced at a conference sponsored by the Department of Labor and Joining Forces—a nationwide effort that Michelle Obama and Jill Biden, the wife of Vice President Joe Biden, launched nearly three years ago to rally the United States around military veterans, active duty service members, and their families.
Labor Secretary Thomas Perez said the announcement marked the first time that an entire industry has pledged to focus on providing jobs and training opportunities to military veterans, especially since many of the companies are direct competitors. Nearly 180,000 construction jobs were created in the past year, according to Perez, with about 1.5 million such jobs forecast to be added through 2022. Last month alone, the industry had its strongest single month of job growth in the past four years, adding 48,000, according to government data. Read more |
