General Electric Co plans to not only help the economy but also provide jobs for 5,000 U.S. military veterans. The company on Monday announced plans to hire those workers over the next five years while investing $580 million to expand its aviation footprint in the United States.

The company announced the plan just ahead of a four-day meeting in Washington geared at helping the country recover from the 2007-2009 recession.

Speaking of GE’s growth and support of veterans CEO Jeff Immelt said:

“We should have the confidence to act and to restore American competitiveness.”

News of the jobs comes as unemployment in January fell to 8.3 percent, the lowest number since 2009 thanks to 50,000 jobs being added back into the manufacturing sector. While 5,000 jobs is a nice gesture on the part of GE that still leaves nearly 23.8 million Americans out of work.

In 2012 alone GE will open three new U.S. aviation plants focused in llisville, Mississippi; Auburn, Alabama, and Dayton, Ohio. The world’s largest maker of jet engines will then hire new workers to staff all three of those plants. While GE trimmed headcount following the recession since 2009 they have hired 9,000 workers while continuing to expand their product lines and production output.

It’s a nice gesture on the part of GE but I have this sneaking suspicion that targeting vets is just a good marketing ploy for the company.

Do you think GE is trying to do right by U.S. Veterans or simply attempting to provide itself with some market spin based on the gesture?

General Electric To Hire 5,000 US Military Veterans is a post from: The Inquisitr