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VETS News Release: [04/10/2008]
Contact Name: Mike Biddle or Otto Heck
Phone Number: (202) 693-5051 or x4672
Release Number: 08-0491-NAT

U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao comments on veterans’ unemployment report

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau for Labor Statistics (BLS) released their biennial report "The Employment Situation of Veterans: 2007."

"Today's BLS report shows that veterans' overall unemployment rate is lower than the rest of the workforce -- 3.8 percent for 2007 compared to 4.4 percent for non-veterans," said Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao. "This shows that employers continue to value the leadership and skills of our nation's veterans and that this administration's efforts to encourage the hiring of veterans are reaping results."

The BLS report states that the rate for veterans who have served since September 2001 is 6.1 percent, and the rate for 18- to-24-year-old male veterans who have served since September 2001 is 11.2 percent, not statistically dissimilar than the rate for young male non-veterans, which is 10.5 percent. The unemployment rate for all disabled veterans was 3.4 percent in August 2007, essentially the same as the rate for nondisabled veterans, which was 3.5 percent.

In addition, the department's Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) enforcement efforts are proving effective, as the report shows that as of August 2007, veterans who are current or past members of the National Guard or Reserves who have served since September 2001 had a lower unemployment rate of just 2.6 percent.

For more information on all the veterans' employment programs offered by the Veterans' Employment and Training Service, visit www.dol.gov/vets.

To read the report, visit www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/vet.pdf