Walmart to Roll Out Program to Hire More than 100K Vets - East Idaho News
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Walmart to Roll Out Program to Hire More than 100K Vets

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GETTY B 032811 WalmartStorefront?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1358252888885Justin Sullivan/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — Walmart is reportedly going to announce on Tuesday a plan to hire almost any veteran who wants a job, marking one of the biggest job commitments ever made by a company.

The New York Times reports that America’s largest retailer expects to hire more than 100,000 veterans in the next five years.  The program will begin on Memorial Day and the offer is being extended to any vet who received an honorable discharge from the military within a year of applying for a job.

First lady Michelle Obama called Walmart’s decision “historic.” 

“We all believe that no one who serves our country should have to fight for a job once they return home,” Obama said in a statement, according to the Times.  “Walmart is setting a groundbreaking example for the private sector to follow.”

Since the recession, unemployment rates for troops discharged from active duty have been higher than the U.S. average.

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