In honor of Military Spouses’ Appreciation Day, Team AgLearn would like to provide resources and event information to highlight the important roles military spouses play in the Federal workforce and across U.S. life.
About Military Spouse Appreciation Day
On April 17, 1984, President Ronald Reagan established Military Spouse Appreciation Day with Proclamation 5184 External Link, recognizing the countless sacrifices and contributions made by military spouses since the days of the Continental Army and Navy.
In 1999, Congress officially made Military Spouse Appreciation Day part of National Military Appreciation Month External Link to recognize the many sacrifices military spouses make as they put their personal and professional aspirations aside for their service member.
Military spouses are recognized under President Biden’s Executive Order on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in the Federal Workforce External Link, as well as First Lady Jill Biden’s Joining Forces initiative External Link. Research shows military spouses are a versatile workforce External Link, yet they face the highest unemployment rates in the country at 22%, and for those who are employed, a 26% wage gap is experienced when compared to their civilian counterparts. Military spouses face unique challenges related to employment, job retention and work/life balance because of military mission priorities of their service member, resulting in frequent moves, deployments and mission critical responsibilities that affect the military spouse/military family unit. Employee veterans and military spouses comprise roughly 10% of USDA’s workforce.
AgLearn Resources
- Learning Path: Get Ahead as a Military Spouse External Link
- Learning Path: Transition from Military to Civilian Employment External Link
- Learning Path: Transition from Military to Student Life External Link
- Course: LinkedIn for Veterans and the Military Community External Link
- eBook: Operation Excellence: Success Strategies of the US Military that will Give You the Winning Edge in Business and in Life External Link
- eBook: Success After Service: How to Take Control of Your Job Search and Career After Military Duty External Link