ATLANTA – Retailer Home Depot Inc. (HD) confirmed Tuesday that it plans to hire current and former members of the U.S. military at its home improvement stores.
The chain said it will work with the 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, 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.
The home improvement industry leader has teamed with a number of organizations to identify workers. Earlier this year, it joined with AARP (search), 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 (search) 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.
In New York Stock Exchange (search) trading, Home Depot shares were up 29 cents to $38.75.
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