The Department of Labor released its August jobs report on Friday, and though it showed some gains for veterans, the news was not quite as good for the youngest servicemembers. The statistics show the unemployment rate for post-9/11 veterans rose to 10.9 percent, Military Times reports.
The findings come amid modest job gains across the country as a whole. The U.S. added just 96,000 jobs in August, and while the nationwide unemployment rate fell to 8.1 percent, some analysts say it could be due to fewer people actively looking for work. Still, there was some good news, the overall veterans jobless rate fell to 6.6 percent – the third straight month it has decreased.
The results come just one day after President Barack Obama's speech at the Democratic National Convention, where he asserted his commitment to helping veterans find work once they return home from serving overseas.
"When you take off the uniform, we will serve you as well as you've served us – because no one who fights for this country should have to fight for a job, or a roof over their head, or the care that they need when they come home," he told the audience in Charlotte.
To this point, he and first lady Michelle Obama have been successful. Just last month, the first lady touted that her Joining Forces initiative had helped find a job for 125,000 vets since the program started.