According to a 2019 survey conducted by Blue Star Families and FlexJobs, almost half of all military spouses have felt job search discrimination, and 91% said being a military spouse has had a negative impact on their career. Additionally, this group also has a 24% unemployment rate, and a 25% wage gap compared to their civilian counterparts. Military spouses are often overlooked for employment opportunities for a variety of reasons that are based on bad information, assumptions, and urban legends. They are also not all women, as this panel will demonstrate! Come to this session to learn the "facts" about the benefits of hiring military spouses.

Moderator: Eileen Morrison (Military Spouse), Public Defender & Member, Military Spouse JD Network
Panelists:
Tiffany Daugherty (Veteran and Military Spouse), Vice President of Military & Veteran Outreach, Barclays
Sam Mitchell (Veteran), Administrator for Military Base Support, Washington State Employment Security Department
Dan Smith (Veteran and Military Spouse), Senior Manager, Military Spouse Program, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Hiring Our Heroes
Michael Thompson (Veteran and Military Spouse), Assistant Director, Indiana Department of Veterans Affairs
Christina Vijill (Veterans and Military Spouse), Veterans Employment Specialist, Virginia Employment Commission