The Numbers Behind Unemployment for Veterans

by John Vogel

As we celebrate Memorial Day, we are reminded of the many Veterans who have fought for our country.  A recent report was posted by The U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee explaining the issues of unemployment amongst Veterans.  It is sad to think of the continuing crisis amongst the many brave Veterans that have done so much for our country.  It is hard to go one day without being reminded of this crisis while looking through the news.  It is a reminder that we all need to see so that we can continue to do whatever it is in our powers to help combat this issue that haunts our nation.

The report goes on to state that the unemployment rate is highest among Post-9/11 Veterans.  There are over 2.5 million Veterans that left active duty after 9/11.  These Veterans make up 11% of the total Veteran population and are predominantly ages 18-54.  In 2010 the unemployment rate of these Post-9/11 Veterans was 11.5%.  The normal Veteran unemployment rate is only 8.7% and for non Veterans the rate is 9.4%.

After looking at all of these statistics we are forced to think about why this is happening to our Post-9/11 Veterans.  It appears that the biggest problem is that Post-9/11 Veterans were working in the majority of the industries that were hit hardest by the recent recession.  68% of the Post-9/11 Veterans were working in the private sector for industries such as Professional and Business Services, Manufacturing, Retail Trade, Transportation and Mining.  These were the least recession proof industries which were affected most during this economic crisis.

The good news is that there is light at the end of the tunnel.  The recession seems to be easing up, and the government is ready to place more dollars behind the education of Veterans leaving active duty.  They will be investing in “programs that help Veterans transition to post-military life and the civilian work force.  Promoting education and training related to expanding sectors, such as education and health care.”

Our network  VT Network does all it can to help out with this unemployment rate.  We currently have over 11,000 active jobs posted at our sister site Hire Veterans. If you are a US Veteran that is currently unemployed, then we invite you to post your resume on our site and browse jobs at no cost.  If you are a company that is looking to help with this crisis by hiring more veterans, then please contact me directly at [email protected].  I would be more than happy to explain the ways in which you can contribute to combating this very real problem.