Uber, the popular ride-sharing app, recently announced it will soon begin working together with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Hiring Our Heroes job initiative to hire 50,000 service members, veterans and military spouses over the next year and a half, reported the Huffington Post.
Labeled UberMILITARY, the program will not only benefit a demographic that historically has a difficult time obtaining meangingful employment, but Uber has learned that its veteran driver usually get the highest customer ratings, so hiring a significant number of veterans should do wonders for the company's already popular reputation.
From veterans looking for part-time work while they go back to school to reservists looking for full-time opportunities between drills - and even military spouses who need a flexible job to "follow them on the next move," Uber thinks it's the perfect fit, and will begin hiring from job fairs and events across the country.
The $18 billion dollar company is also establishing an advisory board that will include members from each branch of the military and will "continue to put forward new initiatives to positively impact military communities," says Uber's site.
The volunteer chairman of the UberMILITARY advisory board will be none other than former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.
"I'm proud to be a part of this unprecedented effort by a single company to ensure that tens of thousands of our nation's military members, veterans and spouses have access to a unique entrepreneurial opportunity," said Gates. "UberMILITARY is committed to providing our service men and women with the economic opportunity, flexibility and entrepreneurship that are the foundation of the Uber platform."
According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, veterans typically have a higher unemployment rate than civilians, at 8.1 percent compared to 6.1 percent, and Huffington Post speculates it could be due to the negative stigma attached to service members - the belief that veterans are emotionally damaged and risky to employ.
By taking steps to hire such a large number of veterans, Uber is doing service not only to the military members and their families, but also to the country they spent time serving.
