Statement of US Labor Secretary Thomas Perez on veterans’ employment

U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez today issued the following statement regarding the release of the 2014 Employment Situation of Veterans report by the department's Bureau of Labor Statistics:
 
"In 2014, the hiring of our nation's heroes rose with an economic tide that consistently strengthened our nation's labor market throughout the year. With more and more of our veterans — some of our bravest, toughest, hardest-working men and women — finding work and adding to the success of American businesses, it contributes to a growing national economy based on shared prosperity. It is the fourth year in a row of steadily declining joblessness for veterans, with today's veterans' employment report for 2014 from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showing a drop in overall veterans' unemployment to 5.3 percent.

"Veterans who have served since Sept. 11, 2001, are also making encouraging gains in the job market. From a calamitous post-recession peak of 12 percent in 2011, the unemployment rate for these veterans dropped to 7.2 percent last year. Employers continue to recognize that these veterans are strong, skilled, dedicated workers.

"We should continue to remember that unemployed veterans come from all age groups and eras of military service, and these groups have distinct needs.

Unemployment among women veterans in the Gulf War-era II, for example, was 8.5 percent in 2014, but we must do more to support them by passing family-friendly workplace policies like paid leave.

"Promoting opportunity for veterans is part of nearly everything we do at the Labor Department, from providing priority services for veterans through more than 2,500 American Job Centers across the country to encouraging companies that do business with the federal government to focus on hiring more veterans, protecting disability employment rights and enforcing wage and hour laws. It is an integrated system that has enormous reach into American communities.

Even as we celebrate the good news in this report, we will continue to deploy this system with every ounce of urgency to make sure all veterans have the opportunity to secure a job that helps them support their families."

Source: DOL

This information is intended to be educational and should not be considered legal advice on any specific matter.

 

We Stand Up for Women Veterans

by Ariel Batungbacal- Jenny Erwin- Tonya Thompson on July 17, 2013

When we meet a woman veteran, we are often shocked because she defies our expectations: our expectations of who she is, our expectations of what she is capable of and where she has been … and most of all, our expectations of WHO a veteran is.

Acknowledging these fundamental questions is at the very heart of what has become known here at the Labor Department as the Women Veterans Initiative, a program designed to tackle the problem of women veterans unemployment head on. These questions reflect the spirit of our approach, which is about so much more than programmatic tweaks or minor administrative changes. It is about recasting the very essence of how we approach the challenges women veterans face when they transition to civilian employment. We ask the same questions some women veterans ask themselves, and the answers take us to new and unexpected places.



In 2012, 8.3 percent of women veterans faced unemployment, while male veteran unemployment dropped to 6.9 percent and women non-veterans to 7.7 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ most recent annual report on veterans employment. While the statistical sample for women veterans is small, the fact that their unemployment rate did not decline in similar measure to their counterparts reinforces the urgent need to take bold action.

A renewed emphasis on women veterans employment issues began in 2009, when the department saw increasing homelessness among women veterans. This led to ensuring resources address this issue, including the new Trauma-Informed Care for Women Veterans Experiencing Homelessness guide, as well as approximately $8.6 million in reintegration grants for homeless women veterans and veterans with children.

In September, 2012, then-Secretary Hilda Solis proposed a vision for the Women’s Veterans Initiative that would include a tiger team to jump-start efforts and set out on a mission to determine the distinct challenges for women veteran employment, identify the department services needed to close the gap and elevate women veterans issues among stakeholders and the public.

Over the past several months, the three of us have worked together to get the program up and running, representing the Labor Department’s Office of the Secretary, its Veterans’ Employment and Training Service and its Women’s Bureau. In addition to participating in numerous national and local forums to bring attention to the issue, we recently held two events at Labor Department headquarters to lay the foundation for this cutting-edge program. One session with women veterans who are employees of the department provided insight into their success strategies for employment in the federal workforce as well as what other resources/approaches would be useful.

The second event was a listening session with more than 100 advocates, veterans service organizations and community groups to better understand the employment challenges of the women they serve, and best practices they have found effective. Video from the event is available on the recently launched Women Veterans Initiative Web page.

There are currently 2.2 million women veterans and that number is expected to grow rapidly over the next few years. It is imperative that we work with sister federal agencies, state and local organizations, and stakeholders to stand up for women veterans. We have seen a tremendous amount of energy and support for the new initiative so far, and there are many more efforts underway. All veterans deserve good jobs, and we at the Labor Department will continue to honor their service by doing all we can to help them find meaningful careers.

Ariel Batungbacal is a White House Fellow in the Office of the Secretary of Labor. Jenny Erwin is a senior adviser to the department’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service. Tonya Thompson is a program analyst in the department’s Women’s Bureau.

Source: DOL

This information is intended to be educational and should not be considered legal advice on any specific matter.

Supporting Our Service Women

The service of women in American war efforts is older than our nation itself. Women served as battlefield nurses, cannon loaders, spies and more during the American Revolution. Through two World Wars, tens of thousands of army nurses served overseas to care for the wounded. Some 7,000 women served in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War, and 40,000 by the first war in the Persian Gulf. The most dramatic shift occurred in the last decade, with 200,000 women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. And the role of women in the military progressed further in January, when the defense secretary announced that our military will officially end its restrictions on women in combat roles exclusively held by men.

Throughout our 100-year history, the Labor Department has stood with our service women, and provided the reintegration services they needed upon returning home. While all veterans and their families deserve our utmost care and attention, women are the fastest-growing demographic within the veterans community and they often face unique challenges in the labor market. Even though women veterans are more likely to have completed some college, a bachelor’s degree or an advanced degree than men, they’re also more likely to have a service-connected disability rating, less likely to be insured and more likely to have no earnings or income – factors that can lead to poverty and homelessness.

New data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Employment Situation of Veterans report, issued yesterday, helps us understand the areas of need within the population of women veterans, and informs our collaborative efforts to provide the job training and employment services on which women veterans depend. According to the report, the 2012 average unemployment rate for women veterans is 8.3 percent, down from 9.1 in 2011, and it is 6.9 percent for veterans who are men, down from 8.3 in 2011. For comparison to the larger population, the 2012 average unemployment rate for women who are not veterans is 7.7 percent, and it is 8.1 for men. One reason for veterans’ improving numbers may be that the economy has been steadily growing, and more people are finding jobs.

For veterans who served from September 2001 to the present − the “Gulf War II” era − the 2012 average unemployment rate was 12.5 percent for women, which was virtually unchanged from 2011, and it was 9.5 percent for men, down from 12.0 in 2011. The reason for these higher rates involves multiple factors. One may be that many Gulf War II-era vets are relatively young, and younger people have higher unemployment rates. Also, we know that many veterans (men and women) tend to work for the government. Most federal, state and local government agencies have been dealing with budget problems for the past several years, and we’re experiencing the only economic recovery that has seen a loss in government jobs. Government agencies simply can’t hire as many new employees, and this particularly affects younger veterans coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan.

The department’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service administers a number of services and programs, with input from the Women’s Bureau, that provide transition assistance to veterans seeking rewarding careers in the civilian workforce. One tool, My Next Move for Veterans, is an online resource that allows veterans to enter their military occupation code and discover civilian occupations for which they are well qualified. Gulf War II-era veterans also can download the Gold Card, which entitles them to enhanced services − including six months of personalized case management, assessments and counseling − at the roughly 2,800 American Job Centers located across the country. Additionally, the Women’s Bureau is the federal agency leading the charge to tackle women veteran homelessness. Through “stand downs” with women veterans and ongoing research, the bureau developed the Trauma-Informed Care for Women Veterans Experiencing Homelessness: A Guide for Service Providers to help address this issue.

Women veterans are not only warriors and pioneers, but also mothers, caregivers, wives and daughters with urgent economic needs and challenges. They are our sisters-in-arms, and we owe them not only our gratitude, but our unwavering support.

Source: DOL - Keith Kelly is the assistant secretary of the Veterans’ Employment and Training Service and Latifa Lyles is the acting director of the department’s Women’s Bureau.

This information is intended to be educational and should not be considered legal advice on any specific matter.

Statement by acting Secretary of Labor Seth D. Harris regarding BLS report on employment among veterans

Acting Secretary of Labor Seth D. Harris issued the following statement on today's release of 2012 veterans' employment data by the Bureau of Labor Statistics:

"Today's veterans' employment report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows promising signs that post-9/11 veterans are finding and keeping jobs in larger numbers as our overall economy continues its steady recovery. But it also makes clear that we must continue to use every tool available to honor their sacrifice by helping veterans find opportunities to succeed in good middle-class jobs.

"The report shows a significant decline in the unemployment rate for veterans overall from 8.3 percent in 2011 to 7.0 percent in 2012. Post-9/11 veterans saw an encouraging decline to 9.9 percent in 2012 from 12.1 percent in 2011. Other categories also saw improvements. Recent broad-based gains in the overall economy have helped to drive down these rates as we continue adding jobs at a steady pace, but support services that address the unique challenges faced by veterans are essential to improving upon today's positive report.

"The Obama administration is deeply committed to ensuring the well-being of America's veterans, transitioning service members and military families. Assuring veterans a pathway to good jobs is a critical element of that commitment. First lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden have demonstrated a tireless dedication to veterans through the Joining Forces Initiative which is securing commitments from thousands of private employers who recognize that veterans bring unique skills and leadership to their workplaces, and for a lift to their bottom lines.

"The Veterans' Employment and Training Service at the Labor Department is the lead government agency dedicated to veterans' employment. VETS serves hundreds of thousands of veterans and transitioning service members each year. In addition, programs like My Next Move for Veterans, the Transition Assistance Programs and the Veterans Gold Card provide enhanced employment services to veterans and transitioning service members, and give targeted support in education and training that will help us reduce the unnecessarily high unemployment rates among younger veterans and female veterans.

"While this morning's report shows that we are moving in the right direction on reducing unemployment among America's veterans, much more needs to be done to ensure that no veteran struggles to find work after serving honorably to keep us safe and secure."

Source: DOL

This information is intended to be educational and should not be considered legal advice on any specific matter.