The Greater and South Tampa Chambers of Commerce are helping spouses of service members find employment and peace of mind.
- Finding jobs for military spouses can sometimes be a struggle
- Employers sometimes worry military spouses may only around short-term
- For more information, visit hiringourheroes.org
The City of Tampa has recently become a designated military spouse economic empowerment zone. The local chambers have partnered with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, nonprofit Hiring our Heroes, and local businesses to educate on the importance of hiring military families.
"It's to educate our local business owners -- both small and large corporations -- about the talent pool we have here in Tampa Bay," Kelly Flannery, CEO of the South Tampa Chamber of Commerce said. "Our military spouses are highly educated, many of them have great skill sets."
Some military spouses we talked to said finding a job can be a struggle. Employers worry they’ll be short-term because they tend to move often.
"We can be a great employee for those four years because we want that stability and we're very loyal, very adaptive," military spouse Karen said. “If you're in a more local company, you don't have the opportunity to transfer with that job, so you end up with holes in your resume."
However, not every business owner feels that way. After serving her country in the U.S. Air Force, Julie McAdoo opened her own cleaning business in the Bay Area.
She told us likes to hire military families.
"The military spouse really keeps the home fires burning, so that allows the military member to go out and fight for our country wherever they are sent and know the bills are being paid and the kids are taken care of," McAdoo said.
Chamber leaders said Tampa is only the second city to be designated as a military spouse economic empowerment zone. They hope it opens doors to new and lasting opportunities.
For more information, visit www.hiringourheroes.org.