Gov. Janet Mills highlights Hire a Vet campaign after connecting more than 2,200 veterans to jobs

Gov. Janet Mills said in a recorded message that Maine’s Hire a Vet campaign has connected more than 2,200 veterans to jobs since its creation and that her administration will continue the program into 2026.

"This campaign has successfully connected more than 2,200 veterans with good paying jobs in Maine since its creation a decade ago," Mills said, adding that in 2025 alone "100 veterans and military family members were hired across every county in our state." She also said the average hourly wage for hires through the 2025 campaign was $27.69.

Mills named several employers that hired the most veterans last year, saying, "Employers hiring the most veterans last year included the state of Maine, Bonnie Staffing, Northern Light Health, and Bath Iron Works." She thanked employers for hiring veterans not "merely out of a sense of charity or obligation," but for filling positions that are "at the foundation of our economy."

Mills framed the effort as both a service to veterans and an economic benefit for businesses, saying veterans bring teamwork, integrity and adaptability to the workplace. She cited a Maine Bureau of Veterans Services figure that there are more than 102,000 veterans in Maine and said those totals include "thousands of working age men and women who are ready to apply the skills our businesses need to expand and modernize and succeed."

The governor said her administration will continue partnerships with employers, nonprofit and private organizations to expand the program and that she "looks forward to the 2026 Hire a Vet campaign." She closed the message by thanking Maine businesses and organizations for their commitment to veterans.