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The chain said it will work with the U.S. Defense, Labor and Veterans Affairs departments to provide full- and part-time
jobs. Home Depot said it hired 10,000 veterans in 2003 and is on track to exceed that number "by a wide margin" this year.
Home Depot is also recruiting the spouses of military personnel in the latest hiring initiative between the nation's
largest home improvement chain and the government. Home Depot, which has about 300,000 employees, said in a statement that
it is also looking to employ military spouses and other dependents at its more than 1,500 U.S. stores. Home Depot, which averages
a store opening every 48 hours, said its effort with the Defense Department also will involve hiring more veterans, active
duty service members about to be discharged, National Guard members and reservists. If a service member is relocated by the
military, Home Depot will try to transfer the person's spouse to a store near the new community. While the company does not
guarantee a job in the new location, Home Depot believes the spouse transfer provision will help reduce attrition in the military
because servicemen will be less worried about their spouse's ability to find work. "It's very difficult for military spouses
when the person in the military gets moved, the spouse has to uproot," said Dennis Donovan, Home Depot's human resources chief.
"In some cases, it's a retention issue." Lt. Col. Joe Richard, a Defense Department spokesman, said there are significant
challenges that military couples face, especially when it comes to employment issues. Home Depot will not create new jobs
specifically for former military personnel and their spouses, but instead tap the roughly 20,000 jobs that will open up this
year through new stores and other growth. Store associates earn $7 to $20 hourly depending on experience, a company spokesman
said. Full- and part-time employees are eligible for health coverage, but the company would not say what percentage it pays
toward employees' coverage. Military members and their spouses receive full health coverage from the government.
The latest initiative is not the first time Home Depot and the government have teamed up on the jobs
front. The home improvement industry leader has teamed with a number of organizations to identify workers. Earlier this year,
it joined with AARP, a membership group for Americans 50 and older. That program has yielded more than 1,800 job applications.
Two years ago, Home Depot teamed with the Labor Department to recruit people who had lost jobs. The retailer has undertaken
other labor initiatives with the U.S. government, including a program that matches welfare recipients with jobs.
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