RSSSome military veterans are struggling to find employment upon returning home from duty. How critical is the veteran unemployment issue, and what can HR do to help?
http://www.hreonline.com/HRE/story.jsp?storyId=89090120
By Mark McGraw
Eighteen percent of military veterans recently back from a tour of duty are out of work, and one-quarter of those who do have jobs are earning less than $21,840 a year, according to a recent Department of Veterans Affairs survey.
Those numbers may be startling at first glance, but don’t necessarily paint an accurate picture, says Ted Daywalt, president and chief executive officer of VetJobs, a Marietta, Ga.-based job board geared to veterans.
The current overall rate of veterans’ unemployment is just under 4 percent, Daywalt says, citing the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau for Labor Statistics recent report, the Employment Situation of Veterans: 2007.
The veterans in the VA study were a small, “hand-picked group of 1,500, [selected] to represent 60,000 vets,” Daywalt says. The VA figures are skewed in large part by the number of veterans who have left the service and are attending college; considered to be among the “unemployed” in the VA study, he says.
Indeed, the unemployment rate of veterans is actually lower — 3.8 percent for 2007 — than the rest of the workforce, which was 4.4 percent last year, said Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao in a statement regarding the recent BLS report.
So, how critical is the issue of veteran unemployment at the moment, and are employers — and HR professionals — shying away from hiring veterans?
The answer to that question is “a mixed bag,” Daywalt says.
By and large, “there hasn’t been any hesitancy on the part of corporations or HR professionals with respect to hiring veterans,” says Bryan Zawikowski, vice president of the military transition division at the Lucas Group, an Atlanta-based executive search firm.
“As a general rule,” Daywalt says, “employers love to hire veterans who have separated from the military or have retired from the military,” many of whom possess an exceptional work ethic, highly developed leadership skills, have had extensive training and education, and in many cases, receive a government-paid relocation package.
Typically, organizations that hire the most veterans are those that already employ a fair number of vets, Zawikowski adds.
“At these corporations,” he says, “it is more likely that the hiring manager or even HR staff members are military veterans themselves. It is much easier for a veteran to understand and appreciate another veteran’s experience, and to translate those skills and experiences and qualifications that are relevant to positions that corporations are seeking to fill.”
Still, that’s not to say there aren’t veterans having difficulty finding employment, Daywalt says. Companies may be hesitant to hire active Guard and Reserve members, for example, fearing they may soon be called back into duty for an extended period of time.
Age and education levels may also hamper some vets when searching for jobs, says Zawikowski.
“Younger veterans with lower levels of education and fewer marketable skills have a harder time finding employment than college-educated and more experienced veterans,” he says.
There are resources available, however, for transitioning veterans as well as recruiters seeking information on hiring entry-level to executive vets — veteran-focused job board and resume databases, numerous Web sites offering HR managers tips for hiring military candidates and employing reservists, etc., says Zawikowski.
Companies and recruiters would be wise to actively seek veterans for open positions at all levels, but “need to understand what it is they are hiring,” Daywalt cautions.
“Most civilians have no understanding of the leadership and technical skills the average military person brings to the table,” he says. “Too many HR managers operate from a Sad Sack, Beetle Bailey or John Wayne movie paradigm. And that paradigm in no way represents today’s military.”
Ultimately, when looking at whether civilian companies are currently hiring — or want to hire — veterans, the answer depends on the type of veterans an organization is looking at, Daywalt says.
“If it is a person who has separated from the service completely or [has] retired, the answer is a resounding yes. The low unemployment rate for veterans supports this conclusion,” he continues.
“But if you are talking about an active member of the Guard and Reserve — the so-called civilian soldier — the answer is no,” he says.
April 22, 2008
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