Today the Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS) reported that the unemployment rate for Post-9/11 veterans* in May was 4.0 percent, remaining fairly steady compared to  last month. Among all veterans, unemployment rates decreased from 3.9 percent in April to 3.4 percent in May 2016. The national employment rate also decreased from  5.0 percent in April 2016, decreasing slightly to 4.7 percent in May.

In general, BLS reports unemployment rates for veterans, including post-9/11 veterans have remained low over the last few months. In IAVA’s recently released 7th Annual Member Survey Report, we saw unemployment rates among our members also decrease from 10 percent last year to eight percent this year. However, our members also highlighted the employment continues to be a challenge, particularly during transition. Forty-five percent of respondents also said they felt they were underemployed.

Our members are telling us just how important it is that employment initiatives focus on the transition period and emphasize not providing a job, but more importantly, a career.

For more suggestions on employing the newest generation of veterans and increasing access to mental health care, please see IAVA’s Policy Agenda.

For veterans who are facing hardship due to being underemployed or unemployed, we encourage you to contact our Rapid Response Referral (RRRP) team to get connected with resources to help you. Contact us directly by calling the toll free number: 855-91-RAPID (855-917-2743) or emailing transition@iava.org.

* Unemployment rates for the Post 9/11 generation tend to show more variability, in large part because of the small population sample size used to calculate this rate.