WSJ: Unemployment rate rising for returning veterans
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- March
- 25
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs reports the unemployment rate of young veterans jumped to 23% in 2005 from 10% in 2000, according to today’s Wall Street Journal.
This has been an ongoing problem for troops coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan. Some can’t find work because they’re struggling with physical or psychological wounds (particularly PTSD), but the report also suggests many aren’t getting the transitional services they need to apply their military skills to the civilian job force.
Of the veterans between the ages of 20 to 24 with steady employment in 2005, about half earned less than $25,000.
The story doesn’t say how this compares to the unemployment rate for young veterans after the Vietnam War, but I suppose it’s difficult to compare those figures because of the differences in the number of returning troops, types of injuries sustained, political nature of the conflicts and our economy now and then.
This entry was posted
on Tuesday, March 25th, 2008 at 5:24 am by Nicole Neroulias. 
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Category: Veterans affairs, afghanistan, department of veterans affairs, iraq war, post traumatic stress, ptsd, veteran unemployment rate
Vets have no idea what their benefits are that is part of the problem the other is they want to do it on their own. When you come back from a place where they had ultimate responsability you don’t want a “handout” you want to earn what you have. Right or wrong we have alot of pride. Vets need to go see an advocate who can help with their employment and benefit issues. The state has a 55-c program for disabled vets that gives them priority hiring for entery level positions in state goverment.
Whenever I speak, people always ask what they can do for veterans… I always tell them… give them a job! Many members of our community that want to help veterans don’t realize that they have connections to one of the most therapeutic actions that can happen… a job. Second thing they can do is to make sure the veterans connect with their Veterans Service Agency.
In peace, Jim Murphy
well im a returning vet that served in iraq, and im getting 20% disability rating, plus i have a secret security clearance, and i was turned down from a security guard position because i didnt speak spanish…also i was turned down from another job because “there were too many whites working there already” so dont feed me any crap about “vets dont know how to use their qualifications” the sad truth is that vets are unemployed and not finding jobs because hispanics are taking over and this weak country is bending over backwards for them…come to our country? then learn our language, so that whites can continue to be hired cuz language and skin color wont be an issue…this country is dying, i just hope im dead before the country completely dies