Monday, January 07, 2013

Veterans unemployment

Gregg Zoroya (USA Today) reports that veterans unemployment has fallen from 12.1% two years ago to 9.9% today.  That looks like good news.  It's really not.  You have to break down the data.  Zoroya does in two cases:


  • Joblessness remains high among a sub-group of veterans who have had the hardest time finding work — those ages 18 to 24 — although that rate also is declining. One in four of them were unemployed in 2011. That dropped to one in five last year.
  • For women who served, jobs remain scarce. Their unemployment rate inched higher, from 12.4% to 12.5% last year, and from about 35,000 out of work to 37,000, the data show.

That's really not a sub-group in the minds of most Americans.  When people are talking about veterans unemployment, most Americans are thinking about veterans of today's wars -- Iraq and Afghanistan.  The 18 to 24 group's unemployment rate is beyond troubling.  That's 20% currently (dropping from 25% in 2011).  It would be good if it could be broken into today's veterans.

It would also be good if when this topic was discussed, women were covered as part of it and not a tiny sidebar.  For women veterans the rate increased.  That data needs to be broken up as well.

This is not a regional problem, it's a national one (and it's tied into the high unemployment for all Americans).  Cammy Cochrane (Rochester Democrat and Chronicle)  notes,Currently there are more than 6,000 veterans actively seeking employment in Monroe County alone." The numbers may vary but in counties and parishes and (for Alaska) boroughs, the stories are the same.  Damon Scott (Biz Journals) notes that "the Albuquerque Convention Center May 8th and 9th" will be the site for the job fair put on by the New Mexico Veterans Business Advocates and Veterans Business Expo and Job Fair.




DoD issued the following press release last month:

12/13/2012 - WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- Employment website Monster.com is collaborating with the White House's Joining Forces campaign and will contribute to the initiative's goal of hiring or training an additional 250,000 veterans and military spouses by the end of 2014, Acting Commerce Department Secretary Rebecca M. Blank announced here yesterday at the National Veteran Employment Summit hosted by Monster and Military.com.

Joining Forces is a comprehensive national initiative led by First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, to provide service members and their families with the opportunities and support they have earned. One of the effort's main focuses has been connecting America's veterans and military spouses with careers that match their skills, experience and dedication. To date, Joining Forces has worked with more than 2,000 companies to hire or train 125,000 veterans and military spouses.

During the summit, officials said, human resource leaders from the public and private sector engaged with veterans, senior military and government officials, and respected nonprofit organization leaders about the most effective ways to prepare, support, and connect veterans with employers.

"All of us at the Commerce Department and throughout the administration have made hiring veterans a priority," Blank said. "Whether it's by making improvements in how the military transitions service members from the battlefield to the workplace, ensuring the post-9/11 GI Bill stays strong, or through the efforts of the Joining Forces initiative, President Obama and this administration are taking steps to ensure that veterans can find job opportunities when they return from service."

"We are proud to support the efforts of the private sector -- and companies like Monster and Military.com -- in hiring the men and women who have bravely served this nation," Blank added.

"Through Joining Forces we're working to show military families that they live in a grateful nation," said Navy Capt. Todd Veazie, executive director of the Joining Forces initiative. "Over the past year we've asked Americans to step up and show their support. Everyone we've met has exceeded our expectations not only by making commitments but also by raising their goals even higher. I saw that same energy today from Monster and Military.com, companies that are dedicated to helping military families connect with jobs and training opportunities. We're eager to continue working together in the months and years ahead."

With a local presence in more than 40 countries, Monster connects employers with quality job seekers at all levels, provides personalized career advice to consumers globally and delivers vast, highly targeted audiences to advertisers. The Military Skills Translator, Veteran Virtual Career Fairs, Veterans Talent Index and today's Veterans Employment Summit are indicative of Monster's commitment to serving the full spectrum of veteran employment needs. The company provides employers with tools that help them attract veteran talent on a regular basis, including veteran friendly job postings, veteran power resume search tools and access to the Military Career Ad Network.

"We were honored to bring together human resource leaders from the private and public sectors, veterans, senior military and government officials and respected nonprofit leaders to participate in today's Veterans Employment Summit here in Washington," said Sal Iannuzzi, Chairman, President and CEO for Monster. "Throughout the day, these leaders addressed what programs and best practices their organizations are doing to prepare, support and connect veterans. Teaming with the Joining Forces initiative furthers Monster's commitment to help connect veterans to those employers who want to hire them."

Military.com, a business unit of Monster Worldwide Inc., is the nation's largest online military destination serving over ten million members, including active duty personnel, reservists, guard members, retirees, veterans, family members, defense workers and those considering military careers.



 Bonnie reminds  that Isaiah's  The World Today Just Nuts' "The Curse of Chuckie" went up Sunday.  Yesterday, Jody Watley offered "Quote of The Day.."


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