Walmart extends veteran hiring

Bentonville, Ark. -- Walmart announced the next step in its Veterans Welcome Home Commitment by guaranteeing a job offer to any eligible U.S. veteran honorably discharged from active duty since the commitment’s original launch on Memorial Day 2013.



The previous commitment was for veterans within 12 months off active duty. In addition to the Veterans Welcome Home Commitment, Walmart is expanding its 2013 projection of hiring 100,000 veterans by 2018, increasing the projection to 250,000 veterans by the end of 2020.



Since Memorial Day 2013, Walmart has hired more than 92,000 veterans, and nearly 8,000 have already been promoted to jobs with higher pay and greater responsibility.



The Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff estimates 250,000 service members may separate from the military per year over the next five years.



Walmart is also extending its support for transitioning military members and their families beyond the company’s operations and is leveraging the size and scale of its supply chain to further support programs that provide training, education and economic opportunity through such programs as:



• Coalition for Veteran Owned Business: On May 5, Walmart participated in the launch of the Coalition for Veteran Owned Business, which will work to create opportunities for veteran and military-family owned businesses with American businesses and supply chains.



• U.S. Manufacturing Summit and Open Call: Walmart is also specifically encouraging military and veteran-owned businesses to apply for its annual U.S. Manufacturing Summit and Open Call to be held July 7-8, 2015 in Bentonville, Ark. The summit and open call will provide an opportunity to meet with Walmart’s buyers and facilitate meetings for current and potential suppliers with key state economic development officials.



• Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University (IVMF): The Walmart Foundation awarded a $1 million grant to support a three-year initiative to pilot new ways in which non-profit, public, and private sectors can better work together to serve veterans.