Veterans’ Unemployment Falls To Lowest Level In More Than Three Years

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Even as the national unemployment rate ticked up ever so slightly in July, the unemployment rate for veterans fell to its lowest level in more than three years, dropping to 6.9 percent. That figure is the lowest monthly unemployment rate for all veterans since before President Obama took office.

The Obama administration has championed legislation aimed at reducing the unemployment for veterans, including the passage late last year of tax incentives to businesses that hire veterans and signing an executive order to help as many as 126,000 veterans receive certification and training necessary for various manufacturing jobs around the country. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics report, 25,000 of the new jobs added in July were in the manufacturing sector.

The unemployment rate for veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars remained higher than the national unemployment rate, but it too appears to be trending in the right direction. The July unemployment rate for post-9/11 veterans was 8.9 percent in July, the lowest it’s been since February, and just the second time the figure has fallen below 9 percent since December 2009:




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http://thinkprogress.org/security/2012/08/03/635371/veterans-unemployment-falls/

[WooWooWoo]

1. its good progress, but still a long way to go

Of the guys in my platoon who've gotten out recently (within the last year) only one out of seven has found employment. Luckily most of them are using the GI Bill, who they have their housing and education paid for.