217 People Hired During the 2021 Maine Hire-A-Vet Campaign, at an Average Hourly Wage of Over $24

January 25, 2022

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 25, 2022

217 People Hired During the 2021 Maine Hire-A-Vet Campaign, at an Average Hourly Wage of Over $24

The annual campaign's goal is for 100+ employers to hire 100+ veterans during 100 days.

AUGUSTA - Final results are in: a total of 217 veterans, including 42 women, and military family members were hired during the 2021 Maine Hire-A-Vet Campaign! Responding to the needs of the Veteran and Military Service community, the 2021 campaign featured both in-person and virtual hiring events.

The Maine Hire-A-Vet campaign provides support for employers to expand the hiring of veterans through a network of state and federal agencies, resources and nonprofits, education on military language and culture, recruiting and hiring assistance, as well as recognition for the hiring and advancement of veterans and military family members.

"During the pandemic, the Department has adapted and worked to make sure that our services are accessible to everyone," Commissioner Laura Fortman said. "The 2021 Campaign included both virtual and in-person events, meeting veterans, their family members, and employers where they are. This year's campaign was very successful, with an increase in both the number of individuals hired, and their average wages."

The 2021 campaign kicked off on August 26, 2021 with an in-person hiring fair at the Augusta Civic Center and ended on December 16, 2021.

The average hourly wage of veterans hired was $24.12, an increase of $0.20 from the 2020 campaign. In 2021, 166 employers signed on to the campaign, and fourteen of the sixteen counties in the state had veteran hires in them. During the campaign, 189 participants attended 11 educational programs to serve veteran and non-veteran job seekers and employers.

The five businesses that had the most hires during the 2021 campaign were Bonney Staffing, General Dynamics/Bath Iron Works, Northern Light Health, the State of Maine, and Dead River Company.

2021 campaign sponsors included: Gold Sponsor General Dynamics/Bath Iron Works; Silver Sponsors Evergreen Home Performance, Maine Bureau of Veteran Services, Maine Department of Corrections and Vortex Services; as well as Bronze Sponsors City of Augusta, Destination Occupation, Hancock Lumber, Moody Collision Centers, Northern Light Health, NRF Distributors, and Reed & Reed.

The campaign has connected over 1,000 employers with over 1,700 veteran-hires since its inception in 2015 and has been recognized as a best practice by the United States Department of Labor (USDOL) and the National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA).

The Maine Hire-A-Vet Campaign is a partnership between the Maine Department of Labor Veterans Employment Team and its CareerCenters, Boots2Roots, the Maine National Guard Employment Support Program, Maine Bureau of Veterans Services, Transition Assistance Advisors, VA Veteran Readiness and Employment, State Bureau of Rehabilitation Services, Military OneSource along with numerous business partners throughout the state.

Learn more at https://www.mainecareercenter.gov/hireavet.shtml, and follow the campaign on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mainehireavet.

Veterans, military family members and civilians seeking assistance in job search and training are encouraged to contact their closest Maine CareerCenter, which can be found online at https://www.mainecareercenter.gov/locations. Veterans Representatives and Career Counselors are available at each location.