The 2023 Maine Hire-A-Vet Campaign placed 237 veterans or military family members in well-paid jobs, far surpassing the goal of 100 hires in 100 days.

The average hourly wage of the new hires was $29.55 – the second-highest average wage among program participants since the campaigns started in 2015, Gov. Janet Mills said in a statement Thursday.

Placements occurred in all 16 counties and included 55 women veterans. Approximately 60% of people hired through the program took positions with Pratt & Whitney, Northern Light Health, Bonney Staffing, MaineHealth, Bath Iron Works and the state of Maine.

The annual 100-day campaign is a partnership of the Maine Department of Labor, Maine Bureau of Veterans Services and Destination Occupation, a recruitment marketing firm in Portland. Through the years, the campaign has fostered over 1,900 hires by more than 1,700 employers.