As more war veterans arrive back to the nation from Iraq and Afghanistan, more of them are getting back to work in the civilian job force, due to efforts made by employers and the government, as well as the improving economy. The jobless rate for Iraq and Afghan war veterans has fallen to 7.6 percent, below the overall U.S. unemployment rate of 8.3 percent, and nearly 5 percentage points below the 12.5 percent rate for veterans a year ago. Many employers have made it a priority to hire veterans. Dawn Halfaker, a former military police captain who lost her arm in Iraq in 2004, is among those employers. She founded her consultancy Halfaker and Associates in 2006, with the intention of hiring wounded warriors like herself. She said, “I know what it’s like to get injured and have your career taken away from you. So I want to make sure my company is a vehicle to offer opportunities to other warriors.”
Some firms have official military recruiting programs, while others are creating or expanding them. Earlier this week, Disney announced “Heroes Work Here,” a program it reports will recruit 1,000 veterans over the next three years. The government reportedly wants to encourage more efforts such as Disney’s. “This past year saw the passage of a number of bills specifically designed to support veteran hiring and training,” said Adriana Kugler, chief economist for the U.S. Department of Labor, which produces the BLS statistics.
