A Pentagon-run program established to fight military spouse unemployment added 168 new partners last month, pushing its grand total above 1,000 participating employers.

Founded in 2011, the Military Spouse Employment Partnership (MSEP) enlists companies that commit to “recruit, hire, promote and retain military spouse in jobs that provide meaningful and lasting employment,” according to a Military OneSource article on the program. Spouses can find opportunities via the partnership’s job listings.

[MORE CAREER SUPPORT: MOAA’s Job Board]

Partnership additions announced at MSEP’s annual partner meeting Jan. 29-30 include Cisco, Johns Hopkins University, Kansas State University, Lincoln Financial, the University of Oklahoma, and many others, ranging from municipalities and school districts to nonprofits and veteran support agencies.

MOAA has been a partner with MSEP since its founding. The association does more than advocate for spouse hiring — MOAA has many spouses of currently serving members and veterans on staff, as well as surviving spouses. The company's last four hires have been spouses connected to the military and veteran community, including two spouses of currently serving members.

[TAKE ACTION: Ask Your Lawmakers to Support Military Spouse Employment]

"We're working hard to encourage other employers to follow in MOAA's footsteps," said Stephanie Rose, MOAA's director of Government Relations for Military Family and Survivor Policy and the spouse of an Air Force Reserve member. "Military spouses remain a vastly untapped talent pool of professionals who bring advanced problem-solving skills and innovation developed through the constant challenges inherent to military life. When given the opportunity, these individuals quickly become high-value employees, consistently earning top performance ratings because of the impact they deliver.

"At MOAA, we support legislation and programs that strengthen the connection between employers and military spouses, and we are especially encouraged by the MSEP’s multifaceted approach to meeting spouses where they are and connecting them with the right employment opportunities."

More than 360,000 spouses have been hired via MSEP, according to the organization. Along with promoting spouse-friendly career paths, MSEP partners regularly report spouse employment data, to include new hires, promotions, and retention rates (including spouses retained after a relocation).

[FROM MSEP: Potential Partner Booklet (PDF Download)]

Military spouses can take advantage of career and transition resources from MOAA, to include employment webinars, dozens of online articles, and LinkedIn resources such as MOAA’s Career and Networking Group and a weekly LinkedIn newsletter.