The U.S. Army is facing a major shortage of soldiers. As result, major enlistment bonuses are being offered.
“We’re not getting our message out there as much as we would like to and are facing serious challenges like every other military service.” Lt. Colonel John Dickens with the Syracuse Army Recruiting Battalion told WENY-TV.
The talent pool is shrinking across the board. People of all ages are finding new ways to make ends meet, by either working with less, or working fewer jobs. It’s put a strain on businesses that rely heavily on part-time workers.
However, the competitive job market has also put pressure on the U.S. Army to come up with new ways to recruit.
Young people have more job options coming out of high school and college than ever before, according to Dickens, who says many don’t understand what it takes to live and work in the Army either.
“Our struggle particularly has been being able to get in front of that audience. We have had to switch to a virtual way to contact individuals within our own organization to be able to contact the youth of America,” he added, speaking to the challenges brought on by the pandemic.
So, big bonuses are being offered. In fact, enlistment bonuses of up to $50,000 are being offered to individuals. Some are worried, though, that it will mean the Army changing how it operates if it cannot find ways to reach full-strength with manpower.
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