Did you know that the highest unemployment rates for women veterans are found among those enrolled in school?
A Message to veterans service providers from the DOL VETS Women Veteran Program Manager, Dr. Nancy A. Glowacki
In 2016, the highest unemployment rates, particularly for women veterans, were among 18-54 year olds currently enrolled in school. Among those enrolled in school, the unemployment rate of women veterans was significantly higher than that of women nonveterans (8% vs. 5.6%, respectively). Meanwhile, in 2016, the annual average unemployment rate of women veterans not enrolled in school and of women nonveterans not enrolled in school was the same (4.9%).
Veterans tend to attend school at older ages than nonveterans, particularly among women. In 2016, among 18-24 year olds, women nonveterans were over twice as likely as women veterans to be enrolled in school, but among 25-34 year olds, 35-44 year olds, and 45-54 year olds, women veterans were over twice as likely as women nonveterans to be enrolled in school. The likelihood to attend school at an older age impacts their financial and family responsibilities, and many must work while attending school.
This perhaps describes about a crucial need for employment support for women veterans enrolled in school. Some of the best resources out there can be found at Veterans.gov and at the U.S. Dept. of Labor’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service. Employers looking to hire veterans should look no further than the Dept. of Labor’s resources for hiring veterans or even creating an apprenticeship program.
For more information, view the 2016 Employment, Unemployment, and Education Webinar on the Women Veterans page at dol.gov/vets.
Data used in the figures above comes from the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2016 Current Population Survey, Annual Averages.