11 Facts About Veteran Unemployment

1. Unemployment among veterans returning from the Iraq and Afghanistan War fell from 15.2 percent to 9.1 percent over the last year.
2. The overall rate for veterans fell from 9.9 percent to 7.5 percent over the same period.
3. An estimated 1 out of every 5 guardsmen who serve in the National Guard or Reserves is unemployed.
4. Unemployment is highest among young male veterans 18 to 24 years old.
5. Although the unemployment rate among other young Americans went down, it stayed the same for new veterans.
6. According to the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, veterans are considered less desirable than younger applicants with more specific skills, despite the experience and training veterans receive.
7. To cut unemployment rates among veterans, President Barack Obama is calling for a new program that will give veterans jobs by rebuilding roads, trails and levees on public lands.
8. Obama is proposing that communities that hire veterans to work as policemen and firefighters will get preference in the grants competition. An additional $4 billion for the Community Oriented Policing Services Program and $1 billion for the firefighter grants.
9. For the post-9/11 veterans who did find employment, about a third of males and half of females are working in management or professional jobs.
10. Over 14 percent of employed post-9/11 veterans have found federal government positions.
11. New veterans are more likely to work in government than other veterans, especially if they have a service-related disability.

Sources:

Jobs For Veterans
Huffington Post
Washington Post
LA Times
IAVA