It is a long-time lament of employers in New Jersey that finding and hiring qualified candidates is a significant challenge.
The New Jersey Business and Industry Association’s 66th Annual Business Survey, released in December, reported 55 percent of respondents said they were “challenged to find appropriate staffing.”
Of those respondents, 77 percent said there “were not enough candidates or applicants to fill open positions” and 68 percent said the candidates “lacked the required skills or qualifications.”
Many companies in the Garden State address their employment gaps with a robust focus on hiring military veterans and military spouses.
Surveys consistently show employers rate their military employees very highly, especially in the areas of leadership skills, discipline, teamwork, problem-solving, adaptability and a strong commitment to accomplishing a mission.
Companies that excel in finding and hiring veterans and military spouses are recognized annually by Military Times on its annual “Best for Vets” employer list. Military Times weighs employment programs, benefits and support efforts by these employers in creating the list.
Here are some of the practices these “Best for Vets” employers follow to find and hire military employees and/or military spouses:
- Attend military job fairs.
- Post job openings on military-specific job boards.
- Hire recruiters who specialize in veteran hiring.
- Create a current service member and veteran employee referral program.
- Reach out to service members and veterans on social media.
The employers on this list also develop relationships with local National Guard and reserve units, the Military Transition Assistance Program, colleges and student veteran groups, professional military associations and Federal/local veteran’s employment representatives.
A total of 237 employers made Military Times’ 2024 list. Among them are seven New Jersey companies:
- J&J
- Bristol Meyer Squibb
- Merck
- Withum
- Becton Dickinson
- Conduent
- Suburban Propane
To see the full list of Military Times’ “Best for Vets” employers, click here.
