Military spouses get boost for federal jobs

[unhappycamper]

Military spouses get boost for federal jobs
By Karen Jowers - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Oct 1, 2008 16:11:42 EDT

The door to employment with the federal government is being pushed open a little wider for military spouses whose service members have been incapacitated or killed or who are moving with their service members on permanent change-of-station orders.

An executive order signed Sept. 25 by President Bush allows hiring managers for all federal agencies to hire qualified military spouses without going through the competitive process.

The new hiring authorities for federal managers probably will not be put into place until some time after the first of the year, said Patricia Bradshaw, deputy undersecretary of defense for civilian personnel policy. The Office of Personnel Management must issue regulations implementing Bush’s order.

“One of the key things to recruiting and retention of service members is the employment of spouses,” Bradshaw said, noting that only about 10 percent of military spouses stay in the same location for as long as five years. Frequent relocations make it difficult for spouses to build a career.

Spouses must be qualified for the federal positions for which they apply. But the new policy would allow federal hiring managers in some cases to hire spouses without advertising the jobs, depending on other hiring requirements.


Rest oof article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/10/military_spouses_federaljobs_100108w/%2e