Over 1.9 million Veterans have returned from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. The economy is making the transition to civilian life ever harder by increasingly sour employment outlook.
The unemployment rate for Veterans of all ages from the recent wars was 10.2 percent in 2009. Younger Veterans have historically had a harder time finding jobs than their older counterparts, because they have had less time to acquire job experience and training.
The Labor Department said that the unemployment rate last year for young Iraq and Afghanistan veterans hit 21.1 percent.
Joseph Sharpe, director of the economic division at the American Legion said that many of the unemployed were formerly members of the Guard or the Reserves that have been deployed multiple times. He said that some came home to discover that their jobs had been eliminated due to downsizing. Many companies do not even want to hire someone who might deploy again, or that might have to take time off for medical appointments because of war-related health problems.
The National Veterans Foundation’s Job for Vets Program helps match up Veterans with jobs around the country. If you are a Veteran in need of assistance, please contact the Lifeline for Vets™ at 888-777-4443. To support the NVF’s services for Veterans in need, visit www.help-Veterans.org.
