Oct 15, 2009 6:16 pm US/Central
Unemployment Rate For Veterans Skyrocketing
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
-
-
Veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan attend a job fair. The unemployment rate for veterans is 2 percent higher than the national unemployment rate.
CBS
They serve on the front lines only to come home to the unemployment line. National statistics show the jobless rate for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans is skyrocketing. CBS 2's Dana Kozlov reports with what's being done to change them.
A few hundred veterans showed up to a "Recruit Military" job fair at The University of Illinois Chicago Thursday.
Those just returning from war were especially appreciative.
"It's difficult. I'm married. I have two kids," said 23-year-old Marine Reservist Corporal James Dillingham.
Afghanistan veteran Javier Sandoval, 22, says it's difficult to go from having a steady job to having none at all.
Both say they have skills and are willing to learn almost any job. But they recognize to some potential employers, they may be lacking certain qualifications.
According to the U.S. Labor Department, there's reason to have veterans-only job fairs like these. Numbers show the unemployment rate for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans is about 2 percent higher than the national average.
About 185,000 veterans of those wars are unemployed, just a few thousand less than the numbers currently deployed to those countries overseas.
But some companies, like AAR CORP. in Wood Dale, have long made it a priority to hire veterans.
Chairman and CEO David Storch says 18 percent of its workforce is comprised of veterans. He says they have important skills, like discipline and teamwork, that make veterans valuable employees.
And AAR CORP. Vice-President Andrew Milani, a retired U.S. Army Special Operations Chief, believes veterans are not intentionally being overlooked.
"People, if they knew that the veterans were out there and they were hurting, and looking for work, I think they would come forward and offer jobs, and there would be zero percent unemployment," Milani said.
Experts don't know why veterans' unemployment rate is higher. But many who work with veterans believe the government should do more to help them with job-hunting skills and other relevant tools as they transition out of the military.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
The Tattooed Ladies of Hollywood
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Reporting
Comments