{"id":63300,"date":"2022-01-23T17:45:43","date_gmt":"2022-01-23T17:45:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2022\/01\/23\/military-spouse-unemployment-could-change-after-pandemic\/"},"modified":"2026-08-18T20:58:00","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T20:58:00","slug":"military-spouse-unemployment-could-change-after-pandemic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/management\/pay-benefits\/2022\/01\/23\/military-spouse-unemployment-could-change-after-pandemic\/","title":{"rendered":"Military spouse unemployment could change after pandemic"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Editors Note: This <\/i>article<\/i><\/a> first appeared on <\/i>The War Horse,<\/i><\/a> an award-winning nonprofit news organization educating the public on military service. Subscribe to their <\/i>newsletter<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shugart Lafleur\u2019s spouse came home with an announcement: We\u2019re PCSing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Permanent change of station. About every three years, married service members pick up and move to a new unit and a new job. But beyond the stress of changing homes, states, schools, and, sometimes, countries, the move often means that people like Lafleur see their careers take the back seat until they can find a new job in a new town.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Lafleur, that\u2019s complicated further by her chosen career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBy education, I\u2019m an attorney,\u201d Lafleur tells The War Horse. \u201cPart of the difficulty in being a military spouse is the licensure. So, bouncing around state to state, I\u2019m not exactly going to take the bar every time I turn around.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She now works as a paralegal near her husband\u2019s base, Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany in Georgia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not every military town \u2014 think Camp Lejeune<\/a> in Jacksonville, North Carolina; Fort Drum<\/a> near Watertown, New York; or Goodfellow Air Force Base<\/a> in San Angelo, Texas \u2014 has the capacity to support the careers of all spouses. Start adding in master\u2019s degrees, professional licenses, or management experience, and the pickings grow even slimmer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And not every employer will risk hiring someone who could leave with little notice and who isn\u2019t likely to stick around for the long term, in any case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But during COVID, Lafleur\u2019s office shut down briefly and her employer outfitted her and her coworkers to work remotely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithout COVID, that\u2019s not anything that would have been on their radar probably ever,\u201d Lafleur says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the pandemic stressed the nation beyond capacity in several ways, it also caused many to celebrate the possibility of attending a meeting in pajamas. But for military spouses, employers\u2019 acknowledgment that workers can be just as productive, if not more so, from home could put an end to giving up one\u2019s career for a husband or wife\u2019s military service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMilitary spouses emerged as the premier remote workforce during the pandemic,\u201d says Meredith Lozar, a military spouse and executive director of programs and events for Hiring Our Heroes<\/a>. \u201cWe said, \u2018We\u2019ve done this, let us tell you how to do it, we know how to manage great amounts of stress, we\u2019re highly organized, we can help everyone get through this.\u2019 Now we have to keep that momentum.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Meredith Lozar heads Hiring Our Heroes, and part of her work entails helping military spouses who struggle with building careers even as they follow their husbands or wives from base to base. Eric Eversole, left, and Lozar spoke about employment resources with Lt. Col. Olivia Nunn on the #SoldierForLifePodcast. (Still from Nunn\u2019s video\/Army)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For years, working from home was the exception, not the rule. But as the COVID-19 pandemic brought broad change for everyone, it brought hope for military spouses \u2014 who face high rates of unemployment, stalled careers, and few networking opportunities. With the increase in remote work, they found stability and opportunities they hadn\u2019t seen before. And while it\u2019s not a cure-all solution \u2014 it\u2019s still hard to manage a store, work in a restaurant, or see patients from home, and many bosses have required their employees to return to the office \u2014 it\u2019s still a sign of the potential of an untapped worker pool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018It\u2019s been this unwavering, staggering number\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Military spouses have historically faced high rates of unemployment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen you look at the active-duty component [military spouses] only, it\u2019s about 24 percent unemployment, and it has been for the past decade,\u201d Lozar says. \u201cSo, it\u2019s been this unwavering, staggering number. And that is typically, in a non-COVID environment, about six to seven times higher than their civilian counterparts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
In 2014, Meredith Lozar served as the director of the Navy and Marine Corps Relief Society at Camp Pendleton, California. Here she speaks to Marines during a dodgeball fundraising tournament to increase awareness for the organization and raise funds. (Lance Cpl. Shaltiel Dominguez\/Marine Corps)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

While some estimates of military spouse unemployment rates are lower than those Lozar cites, they may not filter statistics by active-duty status versus reservist or retiree spouses, which may affect spouse employment opportunities: Reservists and retirees tend to stay in one place. Still, even conservative estimates<\/a> from the Labor Department show military spouses with an unemployment rate of at least 13 percent as of 2017 \u2014 around three times the national rate at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne of the biggest challenges \u2014 is the reason for their unemployment \u2014 is that they move 10 times more frequently than their civilian counterparts,\u201d Lozar says. \u201cEvery two to three years, we are living in a new state, with a new address, with new rules if it comes to licensure or certification, and new challenges if we\u2019ve become an entrepreneur in developing a portable business model. That, coupled with the operational tempo of the service members that we stand beside, often makes it near impossible for us to be gainfully employed and then maintain that employment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That means the spouses miss out, but so do employers: Military spouses often have access to better education opportunities because of military benefits and degree programs geared toward transient students. They\u2019ve often seen more of the world than their counterparts. And they\u2019ve had to learn to be flexible, not only with moves and deployments, but with making new friends and encountering new people on a near-constant basis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
The Defense Department held its first-ever career symposium tailored to DoD spouses in Washington at George Washington University in the Marvin Center in 2014. (Damien Salas\/Army)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

And, \u201cEighty percent of them are willing to or already have upskilled and reskilled into another industry,\u201d Lozar says. \u201cForty percent have bachelor\u2019s degrees. Nearly 40 percent of them have master\u2019s degrees.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But even with skills and degrees, many of the spouses face roadblocks finding mentors, networking opportunities, business leads \u2014 another area where Zoom meetings and virtual cocktail hours could help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mallory Boutin\u2019s family is stationed in Newport, Rhode Island, and she works remotely as a financial services consultant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe difficulties around building a career as a military spouse are not just leaving and finding jobs every couple of years, which is certainly a burden,\u201d Boutin says. \u201cThe big thing for me is the difficulty in building and capitalizing on a professional network.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I think it\u2019s ideal\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s hard to overstate how much things have changed since the beginning of the pandemic:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fast Company reported<\/a> that the completely remote workforce in the United States was about 3.4 percent at the beginning of 2020. Then a once-in-a-century pandemic swept the globe, and employers sent workers home, forcing companies to pivot to accommodate, in some cases, to a fully remote workforce. Fully remote employees had increased to 42 percent of the workforce by April of this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some spouses suddenly saw remote job opportunities appear. Carolyn Bonaventura works as a civil engineer in water-wastewater management in Orlando, Florida. She was recently hired in a fully remote role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDuring COVID, this company obviously sent people home, and they found that it was working so well and really wasn\u2019t impacting their business as much as they thought,\u201d Bonaventura says. So far, she enjoys the option to work remotely and says it can be easier to review designs in a Microsoft Teams meeting using screen-share rather than in a conference room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s ideal,\u201d Lafleur says of working remotely. \u201cIt\u2019s almost like you can concentrate more.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Research backs them up. One 2020 survey<\/a> conducted by Mercer found 94 percent of employers reported productivity had remained the same or improved during the shift to remote work, and 83 percent of employers plan to provide increased workplace flexibility post-pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And many employees prefer to work from home. In an April survey on Blind<\/a>, an anonymous professional network, 35 percent of respondents said they would leave their jobs if forced to return to the office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That isn\u2019t an empty threat: Nearly four million employees<\/a> quit their jobs in June of 2021 alone \u2014 another four million quit in July, 4.2 million in August, and 4.4 million in September \u2014 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in what\u2019s being called \u201cThe Great Resignation<\/a>.\u201d While it\u2019s impossible to say the exact causes for resignations, employers requiring people to return to their desks at the main office may be part of the problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018We don\u2019t have to do that anymore\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Many companies plan to keep their remote workforces, at least in part, moving forward, and have even hired fully remote employees in positions that otherwise would not have been eligible to be remote. In June, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced<\/a> that full-time employees whose jobs can be done remotely will be allowed to continue to telework. Twitter <\/a>officials have said the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And it\u2019s not just tech. Positions in marketing, administration, and human resources have all had success in telework, according to Lozar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even so, there have been drawbacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have started to see corporations pull back on their remote work and their telework and say that was temporary, we don\u2019t have to do that anymore, we\u2019re going to go ahead and return to the office,\u201d Lozar says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond the oft-cited need for social interaction, offices without toddlers or needy dogs, and one-on-one client engagement, traditional management culture may be the toughest hurdle for remote workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Three spouses selected to attend Pickens Technical College to obtain nurse aide certification receive a tour of the facilities where they will be learning the basics of nursing in 2017 at Pickens Technical College in Aurora, Colorado. The program is being paid for in full by the Air Force Aid Society\u2019s Spouse Employment Grant, which provides spouses of military members an opportunity to obtain portable careers. Before rising rates of remote work because of COVID, military spouses rarely could take their work with them. (Senior Airman Luke W. Nowakowski\/Air Force)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s easy to forget how capable people are when you want them to be where you want them to be,\u201d says Jill New, a military spouse and remote worker, about a boss\u2019s need to see employees doing their work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, a Gartner survey of 317 CEOs<\/a> found that 74 percent plan to maintain at least some remote workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lozar says she is hopeful that remote options will continue and that spouses will benefit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf we go back to the office and we forget how successful we\u2019ve been at remote work, military spouses are going to find themselves back at square one,\u201d she says. \u201cThe good is that we have shown that we can do it when everyone said we couldn\u2019t do it, and we can\u2019t lose sight of that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For spouses who found work or are able to keep work because of COVID, there\u2019s a noticeable sense of relief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis will be the first time in almost 13 years that I will be able to take my job with me when I move,\u201d Boutin says. \u201cThat makes planning for our move so much easier.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lafleur says she feels less stress since learning she could take her job with her during the next change of duty station. She has returned to the office but says her employer is now open to her continuing to work remotely \u2014 something that would not have been an option pre-COVID.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBecause military life is fun, I have personally had, \u2018Oh, your husband\u2019s deploying. Oh, no he\u2019s not. Oh, you\u2019re PCSing. Oh, no you\u2019re not,\u2019\u201d she says. \u201cSo, every time we\u2019ve had one of those scares, my boss has been like, \u2018Don\u2019t worry about it. You\u2019re just going to work from home wherever you go.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This <\/i>War Horse<\/i><\/a> investigation was reported by Julie Zack, edited by Kelly Kennedy, fact-checked by Ben Kalin, and copy-edited by Mitchell Hansen-Dewar.<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Julie Zack<\/i><\/a> is a navy spouse with two small sons living in Washington. While reporting this article, Zack was offered a full-time remote position that would not have been remote prior to COVID.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Military spouses have historically faced high rates of unemployment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":74046,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":8,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[64,101,24,89,16,26,8,20],"tags":[8459],"coauthors":[6603],"class_list":["post-63300","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-coronavirus","category-daily-news-roundup","category-home","category-middle-column","category-news","category-newsletters","category-pay-benefits","category-spouse","tag-family-life"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"3W2JCGO3FJFVFBLEXWUW4R4JCE","arc_canonical_url":"\/pay-benefits\/family-life\/2022\/01\/23\/military-spouse-unemployment-could-change-after-pandemic\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"\nMilitary spouse unemployment could change after pandemic - Air Force TImes<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Military spouses have historically faced high rates of unemployment.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Military spouse unemployment could change after pandemic\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Military spouses have historically faced high rates of unemployment.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/management\/pay-benefits\/2022\/01\/23\/military-spouse-unemployment-could-change-after-pandemic\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Air Force TImes\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-01-23T17:45:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-18T20:58:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Julie Zack, The War Horse\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Julie Zack, The War Horse\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"10 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t \"@graph\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/management\\\/pay-benefits\\\/2022\\\/01\\\/23\\\/military-spouse-unemployment-could-change-after-pandemic\\\/#article\",\n\t \"isPartOf\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/management\\\/pay-benefits\\\/2022\\\/01\\\/23\\\/military-spouse-unemployment-could-change-after-pandemic\\\/\"\n\t },\n\t \"author\": {\n\t \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t },\n\t \"headline\": \"Military spouse unemployment could change after pandemic\",\n\t \"datePublished\": \"2022-01-23T17:45:43+00:00\",\n\t \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-18T20:58:00+00:00\",\n\t \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/management\\\/pay-benefits\\\/2022\\\/01\\\/23\\\/military-spouse-unemployment-could-change-after-pandemic\\\/\"\n\t },\n\t \"wordCount\": 2032,\n\t \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t \"publisher\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t },\n\t \"image\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/management\\\/pay-benefits\\\/2022\\\/01\\\/23\\\/military-spouse-unemployment-could-change-after-pandemic\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t },\n\t \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/spouse-unemployment.png.png\",\n\t \"keywords\": [\n\t \"family life\"\n\t ],\n\t \"articleSection\": [\n\t \"Coronavirus | COVID-19 Updates\",\n\t \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t \"Home\",\n\t \"Middle Column\",\n\t \"News\",\n\t \"Newsletters\",\n\t \"Pay & Benefits\",\n\t \"Spouses\"\n\t ],\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"potentialAction\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t \"target\": [\n\t \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/management\\\/pay-benefits\\\/2022\\\/01\\\/23\\\/military-spouse-unemployment-could-change-after-pandemic\\\/#respond\"\n\t ]\n\t }\n\t ]\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/management\\\/pay-benefits\\\/2022\\\/01\\\/23\\\/military-spouse-unemployment-could-change-after-pandemic\\\/\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/management\\\/pay-benefits\\\/2022\\\/01\\\/23\\\/military-spouse-unemployment-could-change-after-pandemic\\\/\",\n\t \"name\": \"Military spouse unemployment could change after pandemic - Air Force TImes\",\n\t \"isPartOf\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#website\"\n\t },\n\t \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/management\\\/pay-benefits\\\/2022\\\/01\\\/23\\\/military-spouse-unemployment-could-change-after-pandemic\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t },\n\t \"image\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/management\\\/pay-benefits\\\/2022\\\/01\\\/23\\\/military-spouse-unemployment-could-change-after-pandemic\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t },\n\t \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/spouse-unemployment.png.png\",\n\t \"datePublished\": \"2022-01-23T17:45:43+00:00\",\n\t \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-18T20:58:00+00:00\",\n\t \"description\": \"Military spouses have historically faced high rates of unemployment.\",\n\t \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/management\\\/pay-benefits\\\/2022\\\/01\\\/23\\\/military-spouse-unemployment-could-change-after-pandemic\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t },\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"potentialAction\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t \"target\": [\n\t \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/management\\\/pay-benefits\\\/2022\\\/01\\\/23\\\/military-spouse-unemployment-could-change-after-pandemic\\\/\"\n\t ]\n\t }\n\t ]\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/management\\\/pay-benefits\\\/2022\\\/01\\\/23\\\/military-spouse-unemployment-could-change-after-pandemic\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/spouse-unemployment.png.png\",\n\t \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/spouse-unemployment.png.png\"\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/management\\\/pay-benefits\\\/2022\\\/01\\\/23\\\/military-spouse-unemployment-could-change-after-pandemic\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t \"itemListElement\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t \"position\": 1,\n\t \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/\",\n\t \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t \"position\": 2,\n\t \"name\": \"Inside the Agencies\",\n\t \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/management\\\/\",\n\t \"ad_zone\": \"management\"\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t \"position\": 3,\n\t \"name\": \"Pay & Benefits\",\n\t \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/management\\\/pay-benefits\\\/\",\n\t \"ad_zone\": \"pay-benefits\"\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t \"position\": 4,\n\t \"name\": \"Military spouse unemployment could change after pandemic\"\n\t }\n\t ]\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#website\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/\",\n\t \"name\": \"Air Force TImes\",\n\t \"description\": \"Independent News For Airmen | Air Force Times\",\n\t \"publisher\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t },\n\t \"potentialAction\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t \"target\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t },\n\t \"query-input\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t }\n\t }\n\t ],\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#organization\",\n\t \"name\": \"Air Force TImes\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/\",\n\t \"logo\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/air-logo-white.png\",\n\t \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/air-logo-white.png\",\n\t \"caption\": \"Air Force TImes\"\n\t },\n\t \"image\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t }\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t \"image\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t },\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t }\n\t ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Military spouse unemployment could change after pandemic - Air Force TImes","description":"Military spouses have historically faced high rates of unemployment.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Military spouse unemployment could change after pandemic","og_description":"Military spouses have historically faced high rates of unemployment.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/management\/pay-benefits\/2022\/01\/23\/military-spouse-unemployment-could-change-after-pandemic\/","og_site_name":"Air Force TImes","article_published_time":"2022-01-23T17:45:43+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-18T20:58:00+00:00","author":"Julie Zack, The War Horse","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Julie Zack, The War Horse","Est. reading time":"10 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/management\/pay-benefits\/2022\/01\/23\/military-spouse-unemployment-could-change-after-pandemic\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/management\/pay-benefits\/2022\/01\/23\/military-spouse-unemployment-could-change-after-pandemic\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"Military spouse unemployment could change after pandemic","datePublished":"2022-01-23T17:45:43+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-18T20:58:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/management\/pay-benefits\/2022\/01\/23\/military-spouse-unemployment-could-change-after-pandemic\/"},"wordCount":2032,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/management\/pay-benefits\/2022\/01\/23\/military-spouse-unemployment-could-change-after-pandemic\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/spouse-unemployment.png.png","keywords":["family life"],"articleSection":["Coronavirus | COVID-19 Updates","Daily News Roundup","Home","Middle Column","News","Newsletters","Pay & Benefits","Spouses"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/management\/pay-benefits\/2022\/01\/23\/military-spouse-unemployment-could-change-after-pandemic\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/management\/pay-benefits\/2022\/01\/23\/military-spouse-unemployment-could-change-after-pandemic\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/management\/pay-benefits\/2022\/01\/23\/military-spouse-unemployment-could-change-after-pandemic\/","name":"Military spouse unemployment could change after pandemic - Air Force TImes","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/management\/pay-benefits\/2022\/01\/23\/military-spouse-unemployment-could-change-after-pandemic\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/management\/pay-benefits\/2022\/01\/23\/military-spouse-unemployment-could-change-after-pandemic\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/spouse-unemployment.png.png","datePublished":"2022-01-23T17:45:43+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-18T20:58:00+00:00","description":"Military spouses have historically faced high rates of unemployment.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/management\/pay-benefits\/2022\/01\/23\/military-spouse-unemployment-could-change-after-pandemic\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/management\/pay-benefits\/2022\/01\/23\/military-spouse-unemployment-could-change-after-pandemic\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/management\/pay-benefits\/2022\/01\/23\/military-spouse-unemployment-could-change-after-pandemic\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/spouse-unemployment.png.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/spouse-unemployment.png.png"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/management\/pay-benefits\/2022\/01\/23\/military-spouse-unemployment-could-change-after-pandemic\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Inside the Agencies","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/management\/","ad_zone":"management"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Pay & Benefits","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/management\/pay-benefits\/","ad_zone":"pay-benefits"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Military spouse unemployment could change after pandemic"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/","name":"Air Force TImes","description":"Independent News For Airmen | Air Force Times","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#organization","name":"Air Force TImes","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/air-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/air-logo-white.png","caption":"Air Force TImes"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Air Force TImes","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes","push-errors":false,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/spouse-unemployment.png.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63300","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=63300"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63300\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":63312,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63300\/revisions\/63312"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74046"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63300"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63300"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63300"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=63300"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}