Leading Financial Institutions Partner to Address Military Spouse Employment Crisis
Navy Federal Credit Union, PenFed Credit Union, and USAA Join Forces with Blue Star Families and IVMF to Release Findings of Three-Year Longitudinal Study
Military spouse unemployment has remained stubbornly above 20% for more than a decade — several times higher than the national average, despite years of public and private sector efforts. It is a staggering plateau considering 43% of military spouses hold advanced degrees, more than three times the national average, yet many remain overqualified and underpaid. New research released today shows this challenge is systemic, shaped by structural barriers like frequent moves, limited workplace flexibility, and cumulative career interruptions across the military life cycle.
Navy Federal Credit Union, PenFed Credit Union, and USAA, in partnership with Blue Star Families (BSF) and the D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF), released findings today from a three-year longitudinal study while convening senior leaders at the Milken Institute in Washington, D.C. for the Military Spouse Employment Summit. The research provides one of the clearest pictures to date of how military spouse careers evolve over time and why, despite years of attention, outcomes have not meaningfully improved.
“One of the most persistent challenges facing military families is military spouse employment, and for more than a decade, Blue Star Families has worked to spotlight just how deeply military life disrupts spouse careers,” said Kathy Roth-Douquet, CEO of Blue Star Families. “Together with our partners at Navy Federal Credit Union, PenFed, and USAA, we’re moving beyond defining the problem and towards evidence-based solutions. This research identifies policies and practices with the potential to make a great difference. When military spouses have access to careers that can adapt to military life, it strengthens not just families, but force readiness and communities as well.”
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As part of the Blue Star Families Military Spouse Employment Initiative, the study followed the same military spouses over three years, documenting how employment challenges and opportunities shift across different stages of military and family life. The findings show that barriers are not isolated — they build and compound over time, shaping long-term career and financial outcomes. The research also identifies factors that most strongly support long-term employment stability, like mentorship, work flexibility, and career portability. These factors, not demographic or military-branch specific, were the strongest predictors of sustained employment over time.
In a collective commitment to military families, this coalition also produced a Corporate Employer Playbook, offering actionable, evidence-based strategies for organizations committed to hiring and retaining military spouse talent. It provides organizations with concrete strategies to implement employment stability and create inclusive hiring practices that recognize military spouse talent, while also building retention strategies that account for military life realities.
The collaboration demonstrates that lasting solutions to military spouse employment require collective action across sectors. When competitors come together around shared values, they create momentum for systemic change.
“Military spouses bring resilience, adaptability, and high-impact talent to the workforce,” said Britt Bloch, VP of Talent Acquisition Strategy and Recruiting at Navy Federal Credit Union. “By removing barriers tied to permanent change of station moves, employers unlock sustained contributions from top talent and meet military spouses where they are, geographically and professionally. We’ve seen tremendous value in designing meaningful career pathways for military spouse employment.”
“This partnership reflects a shared responsibility to the financial and professional stability of military families,” said Maura Watson, PenFed Credit Union Executive Vice President, Risk, Infosec, and Talent. “The findings are clear, and the solutions are actionable — PenFed has implemented many of these findings and will continue to support military spouses.”
“This three-year longitudinal study provides a critical, evidence-backed foundation for solutions that can be scaled across the private sector,” said Tami Cabaniss, Chief Human Resources Officer at USAA. “By understanding the systemic nature of these challenges, we can more effectively deliver on our Honor Through Action commitment. We aren’t just looking at data; we are using these insights to drive measurable change that bolsters the financial security and well-being of the military families we serve.”
“Too often, the challenges that limit military spouses’ careers are treated as a series of isolated setbacks,” said Dr. Stacy Hawkins, Managing Director for Research and Evaluation at the D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF). “By tracking spouses over three years and translating the evidence into a resource guidebook, we are equipping employers and policymakers with the insights and tools needed to build durable, portable careers for those who serve alongside our nation’s servicemembers.”
Building on the evidence-based recommendations from this research, the coalition is also working to grow an ecosystem of change, stewarding more employers, policymakers, and community partners to take action on military spouse employment. Organizations are invited to adopt these practices and sign on to the 4+1 Commitment, presented by Blue Star Families and Hiring Our Heroes, a shared pledge to implement the solutions that make careers more portable, flexible, and sustainable for military spouses over the long term.
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