
1. First Data
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Industry: Banking and financial services
Total employees: 14,427
This is the second year in a row that global payment and technology solutions company First Data has topped the list, thanks at least in part to its First Data Salutes initiative. Not only does the company accept military experience instead of certification and provide reservist pay ("training: full pay, 19 business days, then full difference, unlimited; activated: full pay, 2 years, then full difference, 5 years), it also offers military spouses the option to work remotely, flexible scheduling and the ability to transfer to another location.

10. U.S. Bank
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Industry: Banking—Financial Services
Total employees: 71,973
Reservists working for U.S. Bank are provided pay as follows: Training: full pay, 2 weeks; activated: full pay, 6 weeks, then full difference, 104 weeks. Military experience is accepted instead of certification, and spouses have the options of transfer to another location, the opportunity to work remotely and flexible schedules. And in addition to numbering nearly 2,000 vets among its existing employees, "U.S. Bank requires all recruiters, human resources professionals, supervisors and the general employee population to undergo training in military-specific issues at least once per year," reports Military Times.

9. Newport News Shipbuilding
Location: Newport News, Virginia
Industry: Manufacturing
Total employees: 20,000
The company, a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries, spends 20 percent of its recruiting budget attracting veterans. It pays its reservists the full difference in pay for an unlimited period of time and accepts military experience in lieu of certification. While it doesn't offer military spouses the option of working remotely—it's located, after all, only 20 miles from the largest naval base in the world—it does offer them flexible schedules and the option to transfer to another location.

8. Booz Allen Hamilton
Location: McLean, Virginia
Industry: Consulting
Total employees: 24,700
Reservists working for this company get the full difference in pay for 12 months; military experience is accepted in lieu of certification, and 28 percent of the company's employees are already veterans—the highest proportion among the top 10.

7. Southern Company
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Industry: Energy—Utilities—Gas—Electric
Total employees: 28,993
Not only does the Southern Company pay its reservist employees the full difference in pay for an unlimited period of time, it also provides unlimited medical and life insurance coverage for employees and their dependents—a major perk in these times of hard-to-come-by affordable medical care. And when reservists come back to work, they get brought up to speed on what may have changed during their deployment. Military spouses are offered flexible schedules, remote work and the ability to transfer to another location.
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6. Verizon
Location: New York, New York
Industry: Telecommunications
Total employees: 139,388
The company is serious about bringing in vets, if its attendance at military-specific job fairs last year is any indication—it went to 175 of them, compared with the average 33 attended by other companies that made the list. It also has the largest veteran employee population among the top 10 and hired more than 1,000 last year alone. It pays its reservists the full difference in pay for 36 months, and offers military spouses the options of flex time, remote work and the potential to transfer to other company locations.

5. General Motors
Location: Detroit, Michigan Industry: Automotive—Motor Vehicles—Parts Total employees: 95,128
Military experience will serve vets in lieu of certifications at General Motors, which also provides its reservist workers with pay as follows: Training: full difference, 4 weeks; activated: full difference, unlimited. Military spouses are offered flexible scheduling, the option to work remotely and the option to transfer to other locations. According to the report, the company also "gives veterans a significant preference over otherwise identical candidates."

4. PricewaterhouseCoopers
Location: New York, New York
Industry: Consulting
Total employees: 1,281
Ten percent of PwC's employees are vets, and 10 percent of its recruiting budget is devoted to vets as well. In addition, the company accepts military experience in lieu of certifications. It pays its reservists full pay for 30 business days, then the full difference for 18 months, and extends remote and flexible work, as well as the potential to transfer to other locations, to military spouse employees.

3. Comcast NBCUniversal
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Industry: Media—Technology
Total employees: 164,000
Comcast is the biggest company among the top 10, and not only beat its goal of hiring 10,000 military-affiliated employees between 2015 and 2017 but doesn't plan to stop. Reservists get pay as follows: Full pay, 15 business days, then full difference, 3 years. Spouses will find a welcome here, too, with remote work, flexible scheduling and the ability to transfer to another company location all on offer. Fifteen percent of the company's recruiting budget is aimed at wooing vets.

2. BAE Systems
Location: Arlington, Virginia
Industry: Defense—Aerospace
Total employees: 29,421
Not only do many of its jobs actually require military experience, BAE offers the reservists it hires pay as follows, according to Military Times: Training: full difference, 15 business days; activated: full pay, 30 business days, then full difference, 11 months. It also offers military spouses the option to work remotely, flexible scheduling and the ability to transfer to another location. A quarter of the company's recruiting budget is aimed at veterans, and 16 percent of its employees are vets.
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1. First Data
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Industry: Banking and financial services
Total employees: 14,427
This is the second year in a row that global payment and technology solutions company First Data has topped the list, thanks at least in part to its First Data Salutes initiative. Not only does the company accept military experience instead of certification and provide reservist pay ("training: full pay, 19 business days, then full difference, unlimited; activated: full pay, 2 years, then full difference, 5 years), it also offers military spouses the option to work remotely, flexible scheduling and the ability to transfer to another location.

10. U.S. Bank
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Industry: Banking—Financial Services
Total employees: 71,973
Reservists working for U.S. Bank are provided pay as follows: Training: full pay, 2 weeks; activated: full pay, 6 weeks, then full difference, 104 weeks. Military experience is accepted instead of certification, and spouses have the options of transfer to another location, the opportunity to work remotely and flexible schedules. And in addition to numbering nearly 2,000 vets among its existing employees, "U.S. Bank requires all recruiters, human resources professionals, supervisors and the general employee population to undergo training in military-specific issues at least once per year," reports Military Times.

9. Newport News Shipbuilding
Location: Newport News, Virginia
Industry: Manufacturing
Total employees: 20,000
The company, a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries, spends 20 percent of its recruiting budget attracting veterans. It pays its reservists the full difference in pay for an unlimited period of time and accepts military experience in lieu of certification. While it doesn't offer military spouses the option of working remotely—it's located, after all, only 20 miles from the largest naval base in the world—it does offer them flexible schedules and the option to transfer to another location.

8. Booz Allen Hamilton
Location: McLean, Virginia
Industry: Consulting
Total employees: 24,700
Reservists working for this company get the full difference in pay for 12 months; military experience is accepted in lieu of certification, and 28 percent of the company's employees are already veterans—the highest proportion among the top 10.

7. Southern Company
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Industry: Energy—Utilities—Gas—Electric
Total employees: 28,993
Not only does the Southern Company pay its reservist employees the full difference in pay for an unlimited period of time, it also provides unlimited medical and life insurance coverage for employees and their dependents—a major perk in these times of hard-to-come-by affordable medical care. And when reservists come back to work, they get brought up to speed on what may have changed during their deployment. Military spouses are offered flexible schedules, remote work and the ability to transfer to another location.
Advertisement

6. Verizon
Location: New York, New York
Industry: Telecommunications
Total employees: 139,388
The company is serious about bringing in vets, if its attendance at military-specific job fairs last year is any indication—it went to 175 of them, compared with the average 33 attended by other companies that made the list. It also has the largest veteran employee population among the top 10 and hired more than 1,000 last year alone. It pays its reservists the full difference in pay for 36 months, and offers military spouses the options of flex time, remote work and the potential to transfer to other company locations.

5. General Motors
Location: Detroit, Michigan Industry: Automotive—Motor Vehicles—Parts Total employees: 95,128
Military experience will serve vets in lieu of certifications at General Motors, which also provides its reservist workers with pay as follows: Training: full difference, 4 weeks; activated: full difference, unlimited. Military spouses are offered flexible scheduling, the option to work remotely and the option to transfer to other locations. According to the report, the company also "gives veterans a significant preference over otherwise identical candidates."

4. PricewaterhouseCoopers
Location: New York, New York
Industry: Consulting
Total employees: 1,281
Ten percent of PwC's employees are vets, and 10 percent of its recruiting budget is devoted to vets as well. In addition, the company accepts military experience in lieu of certifications. It pays its reservists full pay for 30 business days, then the full difference for 18 months, and extends remote and flexible work, as well as the potential to transfer to other locations, to military spouse employees.

3. Comcast NBCUniversal
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Industry: Media—Technology
Total employees: 164,000
Comcast is the biggest company among the top 10, and not only beat its goal of hiring 10,000 military-affiliated employees between 2015 and 2017 but doesn't plan to stop. Reservists get pay as follows: Full pay, 15 business days, then full difference, 3 years. Spouses will find a welcome here, too, with remote work, flexible scheduling and the ability to transfer to another company location all on offer. Fifteen percent of the company's recruiting budget is aimed at wooing vets.

2. BAE Systems
Location: Arlington, Virginia
Industry: Defense—Aerospace
Total employees: 29,421
Not only do many of its jobs actually require military experience, BAE offers the reservists it hires pay as follows, according to Military Times: Training: full difference, 15 business days; activated: full pay, 30 business days, then full difference, 11 months. It also offers military spouses the option to work remotely, flexible scheduling and the ability to transfer to another location. A quarter of the company's recruiting budget is aimed at veterans, and 16 percent of its employees are vets.
Advertisement

1. First Data
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Industry: Banking and financial services
Total employees: 14,427
This is the second year in a row that global payment and technology solutions company First Data has topped the list, thanks at least in part to its First Data Salutes initiative. Not only does the company accept military experience instead of certification and provide reservist pay ("training: full pay, 19 business days, then full difference, unlimited; activated: full pay, 2 years, then full difference, 5 years), it also offers military spouses the option to work remotely, flexible scheduling and the ability to transfer to another location.

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Marlene Satter
Marlene Y. Satter has worked in and written about the financial industry for decades.