Corporate America loves to talk about supporting veterans. A much smaller subset actually does something measurable about it. Aerotek, a major provider of workforce solutions across manufacturing, logistics, construction, aviation, facilities, and maintenance, has put itself squarely in the latter category.
Today, the company announced it has been named a 2026 Gold Military Friendly® Employer and Military Spouse Friendly® Employer, marking its third consecutive year earning both distinctions. In a market where veteran-focused hiring programs often fade after the press release, the sustained recognition is notable.
A Three-Year Streak With Real Substance Behind It
Military Friendly® designations aren’t participation trophies. The program evaluates more than 1,200 companies annually using public data, proprietary surveys, and a methodology designed to test whether organizations actually help military-connected workers—not just market to them.
Aerotek scored high enough to land in the Gold tier, which demands long-term structural commitments to military hiring pipelines, advancement opportunities, and community partnerships.
And those programs matter—roughly 200,000 service members transition out of the military each year, according to the Department of Defense, and many face mismatches between their skills and civilian job requirements. Good employers help bridge that gap. Exceptional employers engineer hiring infrastructure around it.
Aerotek’s focus is the latter.
Turning Military Skills Into Civilian Careers
Many companies say they value military experience, but Aerotek has operationalized it. The company works directly with veterans to map training, MOS codes, and specialized credentials to roles across its core industries—fields where hands-on technical expertise and disciplined execution are prized.
Its internal teams are trained to recognize not only the equivalency of military experience but the strategic strengths it brings: leadership, pressure-tested decision-making, technical proficiency, and adaptability.
The company also partners with respected veteran-serving organizations such as the Gary Sinise Foundation and Heroes MAKE America, extending its reach across transition pipelines.
In other words: Aerotek isn’t waiting for veterans to find the right roles—it’s architecting talent pathways to them.
“Being recognized for the third consecutive year reaffirms our dedication,” said David “DJ” Jordan, Aerotek’s director of DEI and corporate social responsibility. “We are committed to supporting the military-connected community and creating meaningful employment opportunities for veterans and their families.”
Military Spouses: The Often Overlooked Side of Military Hiring
One of the biggest differentiators in Aerotek’s recognition is its commitment to military spouses, a population that faces significantly higher unemployment and underemployment due to frequent relocations, inconsistent access to childcare, and rigid employer requirements.
Winning the Military Spouse Friendly® Employer designation signals flexibility—remote-first options, transferable roles, and support systems that many employers still treat as exceptions rather than design principles.
As Kayla Lopez of Military Friendly® put it:
“These organizations don’t just open doors for veterans and spouses; they build pathways for lasting impact. Their commitment isn’t performative; it’s transformative.”
Few companies earn this designation three years running. Even fewer do it while operating across industries that still rely heavily on onsite or shift-based roles. That’s where Aerotek’s model stands out.
Why This Matters in Today’s Talent Market
Veterans and military spouses remain an underutilized talent segment despite being some of the most reliable and highly skilled workers available. For sectors like manufacturing, logistics, construction, and aviation—industries facing acute labor shortages—the mismatch is especially costly.
Three trends make Aerotek’s recognition more than symbolic:
1. Skilled labor shortages aren’t slowing down.
Manufacturing alone is projected to face more than 2 million unfilled jobs by 2030, per Deloitte. Veterans are a critical pipeline for technical and operational roles.
2. Military talent aligns with high-growth, high-risk industries.
Aviation maintenance, mission-critical facilities management, and heavy industrial work require precision and discipline—skills cultivated throughout military careers.
3. Military spouse unemployment remains staggeringly high.
Estimates consistently hover around 20–25%, far exceeding national averages. Companies offering flexibility gain immediate access to an overlooked, highly capable labor pool.
Aerotek’s repeat recognition suggests a long-game strategy that aligns with workforce realities—not just PR cycles.
Competitive Landscape: Standing Out in a Crowded Field
Plenty of employers have stepped up their military hiring branding, especially as workforce shortages intensify. But sustained performance is rare.
Companies like Amazon, Booz Allen, and USAA have historically dominated the “Military Friendly” conversation. Aerotek competing at a Gold level three straight years positions it in the upper tier of employers trying to solve serious labor market problems with serious commitments—not surface-level gestures.
As more organizations look for reliable pipelines of technical talent, veteran hiring programs may become one of the sharpest competitive differentiators in the next five years—not a philanthropic initiative.
A Model for What Veteran Hiring Should Actually Look Like
Aerotek’s approach stands out in three ways:
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Structured skill translation, not manual guesswork
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Partnership-driven pipelines, not one-off campaigns
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Inclusive pathways for spouses, not just service members
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Repeatable, scalable frameworks, not isolated success stories
The repeat Gold designation validates these as not only effective but consistent.
And consistency is the real challenge. Veteran hiring isn’t something you “launch.” It’s something you build and maintain—and Aerotek appears to be doing exactly that.
The Bottom Line
Aerotek’s third Gold Military Friendly® Employer and Military Spouse Friendly® Employer awards are more than accolades; they’re evidence of a maturing workforce strategy built around one of the nation’s most capable but underleveraged talent pools.
At a moment when employers across manufacturing, logistics, and aviation are competing fiercely for skilled labor, Aerotek’s sustained investment in the military community doubles as good business sense—and a model other employers would be wise to study.
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