Unemployment rate for veterans averaged 5.6 percent over recent 12-month period, down from peak of nearly 9 percent four years ago 

Klobuchar lays out a number of actions Congress can take to improve transitions for returning servicemembers 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, Senate Chair of the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee, today released a report on the employment status of our nation’s veterans. Klobuchar’s report revealed some progress, with the recent 12-month average unemployment rate for all veterans at 5.6 percent, down from its peak of nearly 9 percent four years ago. However, the study also found that the recent average unemployment rate for post-9/11 veterans is still elevated at 7.6 percent, and even higher for female post-9/11 veterans at 8.3 percent.

“As our economy continues to improve, we have seen some progress in reducing the number of our veterans who are unemployed, but we still have a lot of work to do,” said Klobuchar. “This Veterans Day, we should not just thank veterans for their service, but recommit to putting in place policies that make it easier for veterans to find good-paying jobs.”

Klobuchar’s report also found:

• In 2013, Minnesota veterans overall had an unemployment rate of 5 percent. When just post-9/11 veterans were considered, the unemployment rate was 8.8 percent. In 2012, the unemployment rates for all Minnesota veterans and post-9/11 Minnesota veterans were 6.8 percent and 14.1 percent, respectively.  

• In 2013, African American and Hispanic veterans had unemployment rates of 8.2 percent and 7.5 percent, respectively. Both were higher than the unemployment rate for all veterans.

• The recent 12-month average unemployment rate for female post-9/11 veterans was 8.3 percent, down from the 2013 average of 9.6 percent and from the 2012 average of 12.5 percent.

• The youngest veterans who have served in the post-9/11 era have had a particularly difficult time securing employment. Last year, 21.4 percent of veterans ages 18-24 were unemployed.

Klobuchar’s report laid out policy proposals that should be enacted to improve transitions to the workplace for returning veterans. One proposal is bipartisan legislation Klobuchar introduced with Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY), the Veterans to Paramedics Transition Act, which would streamline the process for veterans with medical training to get in-demand paramedic jobs. Other proposals recommended in the report include: strengthening and expanding tax credits for employers that hire unemployed veterans; promoting higher education and training opportunities for returning veterans; and providing assistance to help veterans through the challenges of transitioning from active duty to civilian life.

The full report can be found here.

Klobuchar became Senate Chair of the Joint Economic Committee (JEC) at the beginning of the 113^th Congress. The JEC is a bicameral Congressional Committee composed of ten members from each the Senate and the House of Representatives. There are ten Democrats and ten Republicans on the Committee. The main purpose of the JEC, which was established by the Employment Act of 1946, is to continually study matters relating to the U.S. economy. The Committee holds hearings, performs research and advises Members of Congress.

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