Written by Joshua

Unemployment has been high for the entire country since the economy took a downward turn in 2008 and the Bureau of Labor Statistics just released a record high rate of unemployment for veterans: 13.1%.  For many of us, your humble correspondent included, the job losses preceded the economic crash that sent Wall Street limping to their foreclosed upon summer homes with their nest eggs shattered.  Essentially, before the fast-talking jackals on CNBC and Fox Business were even aware that the money orgy of the early 2000s was at an end, the working-class American knew that something was awry.  However, even before Joe and Jane Paycheck-to-Paycheck smelled the trouble coming, the Veteran community had long dealt with a rate of unemployment that was higher than most.

The disproportionate ratio of Veterans that were unemployed or working-poor is a result of a number of factors that have little to do with the antics of Wall Street.  For many veterans entering the workforce after one or two multi-year contracts in the military, there is a disparity of education.  While the vets were humping rucks or swabbing on sea duty, their civilian counterparts were enrolled in college and often finished with a bachelor’s or graduate degree before even the first contract had expired.  These kids often took advantage of internship opportunities where they essentially worked for free, but gained college credit, valuable experience in their specific fields, and made connections that tend to make all the difference in finding positions that guarantee advancement and high pay.

Also, Veterans – especially those that gained rank while serving – are used to a level of income that is hard to match in the civilian world, especially at the entry level.  Whereas many of their college counterparts were able to fall back on support from their parents or have not yet gotten married or started families.  For the vets that have, the idea of going from a $30,000 per year salary (with free health care, housing, and subsistence allowances) it is almost impossible for them to be able to start at a company for $22,000 per year, while dealing with rent or a mortgage and paying for benefits.  Also, there is the disparity in age.  Many veterans are getting started in their civilian careers – that may or may not reflect what they did in the military – at a much later age than their civilian counterparts.  And no matter what a company’s official policy may be, the younger you are the more opportunity comes your way.

At last, there is the stigma of mental injury.  Mental injury looms over every facet of the veteran community and employment is one of the places where it can hurt the most.  Many civilian employers – including an HR Rep for a large Pittsburgh company I interviewed in 2008 – think veterans are “risky hires,” because they fear and don’t understand PTSD.

At least people are taking notice, though.  There are numerous bills in Congress right now that mean to address this issue.  However, these bills focus mostly on veterans separating from the military and almost no attention is being paid to those who separated years or decades past, but still lack the skills or experience necessary to earn a livable wage in the current job market.  It’s a problem for veterans of the current wars and even back to the first Gulf War or to Vietnam Veterans, and it has no easy solution.