President Donald Trump took action to make it easier for United States military spouses to find employment.
On Wednesday, May 9, President Trump signed an executive order to make it easier for military spouses to gain employment in federal jobs. The executive action was signed in hopes of private-sector businesses will follow suit.
Speaking at the White House, President Trump said of military spouses, “We can never repay you for all that you do. We know what you do, and your spouse knows what you do. We can never repay you for that, but we can and we will give you the opportunities you deserve.”
The President noted that the unemployment rate for military spouses is 16%, more than 4 times the unemployment rate across the United States.
Trump continued, “We are going to change that, and we are going to change it as quickly as we can. It will go fast.”
Spouses who choose careers that are more “mobile,” meaning they can find work when they move, often face state regulations and licensing requirements for their careers.
These licensing requirements sometimes force spouses to sacrifice advancing their own careers in order to move with their significant others.
“We’re working with states across the country to encourage them to remove licensing barriers so that spouses who work in careers such as teaching, nursing and law, many others, also can get a job in their profession no matter where they move,” The President said.
READ NEXT: 10 OF THE WORST JOBS TO HAVE IN 2018