GE to Hire 5,000 Veterans Over 5 Years

GE Chairman and CEO Jeffrey Immelt delivers opening remarks during the global conglomerate's four-day event American Competitiveness: What Works, at the Andrew Mellon Auditorium Feb. 13 in Washington, D.C. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

General Electric said Monday that it plans on hiring 5,000 U.S. military veterans within the next five years and will spend $580 million to expand upon its aviation production in the country.

GE, the largest conglomerate in the United States, said the move is part of an effort to expand domestically and create innovation, according to a press release.

The company said that it already employs around 10,000 veterans and will partner with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the largest lobby group in the United States, to sponsor 400 job fairs this year, the release said.

It said it will add 400 aviation-related jobs in manufacturing, as well as in research and development in the next three years. In addition, GE said it will open three new plants in Ohio, Alabama, and Mississippi.

CEO Jeff Immelt said the company has “confidence to act and to restore American competitiveness,” according to the release.