The recession has been discouraging to job seekers of all stripes – those with advanced degrees as well as those without higher education, those in specialized fields and those looking for just any kind of work. Certainly job seekers transitioning out of the military aren’t immune to the difficulties posed by the tough job market. This article will examine why some veterans are having trouble transitioning from the military to employment and what employers can do to help.
Not Just a Statistic
A report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) issued in March shows how recent veterans are faring in their quest to find employment. Veterans who served on active duty any time since September 2001 – a group labeled Gulf War-era II veterans – saw an unemployment rate of 12.1 percent for the year in 2011. That compares to an 8.3 percent 2011 unemployment rate for all veterans (Gulf War-era II vets as well as vets from other time periods). The overall U.S. jobless rate in 2011 was 8.9 percent, according to another BLS report.
A telling statistic in the March BLS report illustrates the difficulty the youngest veterans are having finding work outside the military. Young male veterans (those ages 18-24) who served during Gulf War era II had an unemployment rate of 29.1 percent in 2011, much higher than the 17.6 percent jobless rate of young male nonveterans in 2011.
Transition Discrepancies
A survey from the Pew Research Center released in December 2011 found 72 percent of the 1,853 veterans surveyed said they had an easy time readjusting to civilian life. Twenty-seven percent said the transition was difficult. But of the Gulf War-era II veterans in the survey, 44 percent reported a difficult transition.
Finding employment is only part of the transition from military to civilian life, but fear of discrimination in hiring certainly complicates the transition. It may seem that employers are willing to wave flags at welcome home parades but not so willing to hire returning service members – particularly if they retain a tie to the military by joining the National Guard or reserves.
Ted Daywalt, CEO and president of VetJobs, a company that connects employers with veterans through a job-placement website, appeared before a panel of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs in February. He pointed to a 2007 Department of Defense policy on call-ups of the National Guard as a reason many recent veterans have trouble finding employment.
The policy means Guard members finishing a long deployment face the potential of another long deployment soon after returning to the workforce. Daywalt told the panel that employers are hesitant to hire Guard members because of the policy.
What Employers Can Do
Many employers have taken steps to help veterans get jobs. The 100,000 Jobs Mission was formed in March 2011, led by JPMorganChase and other U.S. companies that committed to hiring transitioning service members and other veterans. The goal is to hire 100,000 transitioning service members and military veterans by 2020, according to the group’s website.
“Our nation’s military and veterans represent the best this country has to offer. We owe our nation’s veterans more than gratitude – we owe them the opportunity to lead successful lives following their service,” the website says. “We believe that hiring veterans is not only the right thing to do for veterans, but it’s a great thing to do for our businesses.”
Employers joining the mission will “get the satisfaction and recognition that goes with helping those who protect our nation,” according to the website. “In return, your company will need to provide resources and periodic reports to aid the Mission in its efforts.”
Employers interested in supporting the group’s mission in a smaller way are also encouraged to register with the group to find out more about successfully hiring veterans.
Internet job boards also connect employers and veterans. One such board is VetJobs, headed by Daywalt. VetJobs, owned in part by the Veterans of Foreign Wars, says it aims to make it easy for employers to “reach and employ all the members of the military community.”
The board reaches the 10.5 million military veterans currently in the workforce, the 200,000 active-duty military personnel who transition each year, the over 400,000 members of the National Guard and reserve who return to the United States each year from extended deployments, and their family members, according to the website.
Government action also is aimed at helping veterans find employment. In November, Congress passed the VOW to Hire Heroes Act, legislation that provides money for job training and counseling as well as tax credits to employers who hire unemployed veterans.
EEOC Action
The job search may be especially hard for veterans with disabilities. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has voiced concern about veterans with service-connected disabilities who face discrimination in the workforce. In February, the EEOC released two revised publications dealing with veterans with disabilities – one aimed at employers and the other directed toward the veterans.
The employer guide explains protections for veterans with service-connected disabilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act. The guide’s purpose is to help employers provide reasonable accommodations and prevent disability-based discrimination.