Recent data seemed to suggest it would happen, but it's now official: the unemployment rate for all U.S. military veterans of working age fell to 3.6 percent in November. According to Fox News, that is the lowest it has been since the federal government began tracking veteran employment in November 2006.
The jobless rate for men and women in their life after service fell from 3.9 percent in October. It is also significantly lower than the 5.3 percent recorded in 2014. These gains follow nationwide efforts made by numerous companies to specifically hire veterans and their family members.
"Hiring a veteran can be one of the best decisions a company can make," said Kevin Gardner, Walmart's spokesman. Two years ago the company launched a public initiative to hire 100,000 veterans, but has since raised its goal to 250,000. "They're quick learners, team players, leaders with discipline, training and a passion for service. They help us to build a better business."
As positive as the employment news is, it was received with muffled optimism by some.
"The issue is that veterans, overall, are older, and overall, older people have a lower unemployment rate," said Gary Steinberg, of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Perhaps this is not a fair comparison."
Veterans have traditionally had a lower unemployment rate than the general, non-veteran population, which is why some concern – especially over young former servicemembers – remains.
"Nineteen to 35-year-olds are a vulnerable population across the board – veterans or nonveterans," Susan Kelly, director of the Department of Defense Transition to Veterans Programs Office, told Fox News. "The economy is improving, and that's certainly great news for the entire nation, but in reference to our veterans, there is a cumulative impact in corporate American and small businesses to hire veterans because it is the right thing to do."