The Bureau of Labor Statistics released its latest unemployment findings on Friday, and while the national jobless rate stayed the same, the news wasn’t quite as good for post-9/11 veterans. During January, the unemployment rate for the veterans of the most recent wars rose to 11.7 percent, up considerably from 9.9 percent in December.
The results are somewhat of a step back for the concerted effort being made to help servicemembers find jobs once they leave the Armed Forces. There have been a number of programs launched over the last several months aimed at providing vets with the training to help them land in-demand jobs. For instance, the Veterans Retraining Assistance Program has been lauded as a big step forward, but it is still too young to have any graduates. Additionally, the transition assistance program has been revamped to offer more training for troops.
Despite the best efforts of Congress and the Department of Defense, it’s clear that something else needs to be done to help chip away at the high unemployment figures. Some new bills have been proposed in Congress that might help, including one that would extend in-state GI Bill benefits to soldiers who live out of state.
Veterans looking for assistance with the job hunt can visit AFBA’s Career Center, which helps pair employers and recruiters with qualified servicemembers.