Access to military talent supply seen as critical long-term need in era
of post-recovery baby boomer retirements.

PITTSBURGH, Nov. 9 /PRNewswire/ --Despite constant financial pressures for short
term results, corporate America is maintaining its focus on long-term, strategic
personnel needs with a firm commitment to hiring military talent, according to
G.I. Jobs' seventh annual list recognizing the nation's top Military-Friendly
Employers. A full list of all 100 Military Friendly Employers can be found at
www.gijobs.com.



"At GE we are always looking for talented, dedicated people of character to lead
our teams," said Jeff Immelt, chairman and CEO. "Veterans have these qualities,
which is why they are a good fit with our culture."



Across all industries, from struggling banks to burgeoning energy firms, large
corporations vehemently compete for 400,000 new civilian workers annually that
retire or separate from the military. Aside from recent college graduates, the
military is the largest, and arguably the most valuable, source of renewable,
skilled talent in the country.



"All the things that made you successful in the military will make you
successful in the business community," said Bill Simon, a Navy veteran who now
serves as Walmart's executive vice president and chief operating officer.



Both GE and Walmart were honored on this year's Military Friendly Employers
list. All companies with more than $500 million in annual revenues were eligible
for G.I. Jobs' Military Friendly Employers list this year.



"We value the experience and leadership our employees with military backgrounds
bring to our company," said Kirk Thompson, president and CEO for J.B. Hunt. "It
is a tremendous honor to have these highly trained and skilled individuals as
part of the J.B. Hunt family. They have helped make J.B. Hunt one of the most
successful transportation companies in North America."



While unemployment rises and job losses exceed five million for the year, even
companies with suppressed immediate hiring needs continue to develop access to
military talent pools. Why? It's baby boomers stupid! Experts agree that current
job loss and unemployment statistics would be far worse if baby boomers hadn't
started retiring from the workforce last year.



The G.I. Jobs Military Friendly Employers list, in its seventh year, serves as
the primary benchmark of corporate recruiting programs aimed at veterans. An
annual survey is one of the primary tools G.I. Jobs uses to determine the
nation's most Military Friendly Employers.



"This isn't about charity or patriotism. It's about good business. The companies
on our list understand that," said Rich McCormack, who heads G.I. Jobs' list
research.



Chris Hale, general manager of G.I. Jobs, notes that interest in hiring military
veterans has never been higher. "This list serves to disprove a populist notion
that veterans are having difficulty finding jobs when leaving the military."
Hale bristles at what he calls inaccurate attention given to high unemployment
rates for America's young veterans, citing the fact that many young veterans opt
to take unemployment benefits before starting a civilian career. "Given the
operational tempo we're putting our troops through, wouldn't you?"



Criteria for the rankings included assets dedicated to military hiring (28%),
Reserve/Guard policies (18%), percentage of new hires who are veterans (14%),
veteran training programs (10%) and previous three years' rankings (30%).




ABOUT G.I. Jobs

G.I. Jobs (www.gijobs.com)is published by Victory Media, a veteran-owned
business, headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pa. The company also publishes Military
Spouseand Vetrepreneurmagazines. The company also produces an annual list of
Military Friendly Schools and Military Friendly Franchises.



SOURCE G.I. Jobs