Dive Brief:

• Walmart has announced it will give hiring preference to military spouses through its Military Spouse Career Connection initiative. This builds on the company's 2013 commitment, which it strengthened in 2015, to hire 250,000 service members by 2020. Walmart said it will surpass that goal in 2019.
• "We have a duty to honor veterans and military families," Walmart's Senior Director of Military Programs Gary Profit, a retired brigadier general, said in the announcement. "But, more importantly, they are tremendous assets to our business. Military spouses bring many of the same leadership qualities we see in veterans, yet they are disproportionately unemployed."
• The Military Family Promise originally allowed military spouses employed by Walmart to transfer from one Walmart or Sam's Club location to another when a spouse is relocated by the military. 

Dive Insight:

Through various initiatives and programs, Walmart has built itself a talent pipeline tapping directly into the veteran and military spouse talent pool. The company recently announced it has hired more than 200,000 military veterans, putting it well on its way to completing its goal of hiring 250,000 vets by 2020. Walmart's returnship program aims to bring unemployed Americans back into the workforce after lengthy gaps, which include military service.

Walmart's commitment to learning and development may strengthen its success as an employer of veterans, who usually need some kind of training to help them transition from military service to the workforce. The company works with employees and their family members to upskill them. It has also made use of virtual reality to enhance its training program.