Military Spouses Save the Day: America’s Untapped Resource for Labor and Supply Chain Shortages

Ninety percent of female military respondents reported facing underemployment.

(FASTPORT)

Do you know how to eat fried green tomatoes?

Severe labor shortages and extreme supply chain issues are leading to empty shelves across the country: So, you may need to get more creative with the way you cook. But there’s a surprisingly deep, untapped resource to the rescue on both fronts: Military Spouses. 

A deeper look at labor & supply chain issues:

Historic Labor shortages

Signs are trending around the country that read, “Be thankful for those that showed up.” 

Employers are in a bleak mood– they report that in their post-pandemic transition, they are just trying to stay afloat; they’re grateful that they still have enough staff to remain open.

“46% of small-business owners reported having job openings they could not fill — more than double the historical average of 22%,” according to a report by the National Federation of Independent Businesses.

Supply Chain Issues

And Virginia, yes, there may be a Santa Clause, but this year he’s getting sacked for supply chain issues. And if all you want for Christmas is your two front teeth, you’re probably in luck, but otherwise this year toys will be harder to find, making this the Blackest Friday ever: 

Drivers can’t deliver because of bottlenecks at ports. As a result of these bottlenecks and driver shortages, the Biden Administration started telling the public in August they will be seeing empty shelves for Christmas. One article from a veteran driver reported that at coastal ports there is one crane to every 50-100 trucks. It can take days to drop a single load… which is usually unpaid time.

Christmas may be looking blue, but things could be looking more grim than toy shortages: America is dependent on drivers for the vast majority of its medical and food shipments. “About three out of four American communities depend solely on trucking for the delivery of their goods and services,” according to Fast Forward Transportation.

And food is getting harder to come by.

Even the heart of America’s farmland is facing food shortages, with midwest grocers offering customers either smushed or very green tomatoes because of supply chain issues. Even Northern states may soon be asking about the infamous fried green tomatoes dish, which rose to popularity during the Great Depression.

Don’t call in the Navy, call in… their spouses?

Ninety percent of American companies report that they want to hire veterans. But their spouses are a valuable, and habitually overlooked resource: Sixty percent of respondents said that companies did not have a military-spouse program in place.

Transportation sector would especially benefit from calling in the cavalry of military spouses. The driver shortage is no secret, and it’s compounding issues with compromised supply chains across the country. When it comes to transportation, military spouses are a particularly keen fit: 

• They’re available: They are 3 times as likely to be unemployed as civilians in similar demographics, according to a FASTPORT report.
• Military spouses possess an affinity and awareness of the culture surrounding a fluid work schedule. That’s often an advantage in the trucking world.
• They tend to be well educated: they make human resource assets both on the road and in corporate, recruiting, and administrative roles.
• As they segway into civilian life alongside their spouse, they have an uncanny potential to become coveted team drivers.

With supply chain shortages getting more severe by the day, many Americans may be asking, “How to Eat Fried Green Tomatoes,” but they don’t need to look much further for help than America’s military spouses.