On February 10, First Lady Michele Obama announced at a U.S. Department of Labor event that “the construction industry has pledged to hire 100,000 veterans” during the next five years. During the event, she noted that 100 construction companies have pledged to increase their hiring and cited the broader efforts of many firms and associations in hiring veterans, including the Associated General Contractors of America. She added that this is the first time a single industry has made such a pledge.
AGC supports the goal of hiring additional veterans and noted to the Department of Labor that even without additional efforts, the industry was on track to hire 80,000 veterans during the next five years given current economic conditions and hiring trends. One reason the industry is already on track to hire so many veterans is that the industry already hires veterans at a faster rate than the overall economy. While veterans make up 5 percent of the overall workforce, they represent 8 percent of the construction workforce.
There have been no specific initiatives announced by the administration but AGC looks forward to working with the Department of Labor on connecting veterans and soon-to-be veterans with construction firms.
For more information, please contact Jim Young at (202) 547-0133 or youngj@agc.org.
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