Servicemembers who are returning from overseas, upon retirement or completion of a tour, are sometimes faced with little to no job prospects back at home. However, businesses and governments alike have been working to make sure veterans have a fair chance at employment. Now, the state of Texas is stepping in to make sure veterans find a job.
Although the state has not released its unemployment figures for veterans yet, the Dallas News reports that veterans across the U.S. have a higher unemployment rate than the rest of the country, as 9.7 percent of those who served after 9/11 were out of a job in September. September's national unemployment rate dropped last month to 7.8 percent, with the Bureau of Labor Statistics reporting it was actually due to companies adding more jobs, rather than people dropping out of the job search.
As a result of this, Texas Governor Rick Perry announced his Hiring Red, White & You! program. According to the Dallas News, the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) will work with the Texas Veterans Commission to host job fairs across the state. These events will take place on November 15.
According to the Liberty County Vindicator, Perry met with troops who were stationed at Fort Bliss to thank them for their service and tell them about the program.
"The talent and experiences our veterans bring back from their service in the military are an important, and, all too often, untapped resource for our communities," Governor Perry said, according to the news provider. "The Hiring Red, White & You! campaign is a great opportunity to help veterans utilize their skills to get a job in Texas, and help employers find talented and experienced individuals to fill open job opportunities."
Ronny Congleton, the commissioner representing labor for TWC, told the news provider that the organization believes they owe it to the veterans to make sure they find stable employment. He continued that the job fairs are a great way for veterans to find employment close to home.
The news provider reports that these job fairs could provide employment opportunities to an estimated 922,000 servicemembers.
"These job fairs will feature an unprecedented statewide employment effort aimed at making the transition of our veterans to the civilian labor force a successful one. I also encourage our veterans to take advantage of the services available to them at Workforce Solutions offices across the state," TWC chairman Andres Alcantar told the news provider.