Reservists And The Job Dilemma

Kathy Robertson, in a Sacramento Business Journal article, wrote about three reservists from the Sacramento area. An interesting story but it fails to present a real and ongoing dilemma that reservists face when searching for a job. Employers don’t want to be put into the position of hiring someone who may be called away at anytime and sometimes for years. Add to that the severe penalties that an employer may face if they try to do what is best for the business and the answer seems simple; an unspoken policy against the hiring of active reservists.

Instead of threatening and punishing employers who step up and take the added responsibility of hiring reservists, we should reward these companies with a tax credit that kicks in when the reservist is reinstated. Lets say a 1/3rd tax credit equivalent to the reservists salary and applied to twice his time of missed work should be sufficient to make a reservist a valued commodity.

Previous articles about jobs and reservists:

Practical Career Training For Ex-Military
Patriot Express Ignored By MSM
Renewed Call For Reservists Legislation
Employers Snubbing Reservists