Jobless rate increases for young veterans - Marine Corps News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Marine Corps Times

Jobless rate increases for young veterans

The job market is not getting better for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday the national unemployment rate remains mostly unchanged at 9 percent, while the jobless rate for veterans of all generations dropped to 7.7 percent in October, down from 8.1 percent in September. But for Iraq- and Afghanistan-era veterans who left active duty since 2001, the unemployment rate for October was 12.1 percent, up from 11.7 percent in September and from an average of 10.5 percent in 2010.

The economy created just 80,000 jobs in October, resulting in only a 0.1 percentage point drop in the national unemployment rate, according to the Labor Department report.

Friday’s release of the monthly employment report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics comes as Congress continues to try to pass a bill to help jobless veterans find work. The veterans’ affairs committees in the House and Senate have their own ideas, and the Obama administration has made its own proposals, including a tax credit for businesses hiring veterans. An agreement, though, has proven elusive.

Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., the House Veterans Affairs Committee chairman, set a personal goal of passing a compromise veterans’ jobs bill in time for it to become law by Veterans’ Day on Nov. 11. It remains unclear if that goal can be met. While veterans’ issues are mostly nonpartisan, the possibility of adding the employer tax credits from President Obama’s American Jobs Act to a compromise measure has become a last-minute hurdle because of reluctance by some Republicans to passing any Obama-proposed jobs legislation.

While Congress dithers, the Obama administration has launched a pre-Veterans’ Day public relations offensive to list myriad programs aimed at helping veterans find jobs.

This includes loans and counseling from the Small Business Administration for veterans and Guard and reserve members who want to start their own business — an option that’s getting more attention since high-paying jobs are scare. William Elmore, SBA’s associate administration for veterans’ business development, said there are 15 veterans outreach centers scattered throughout the U.S. Veterans can also get help at any of the 950 small-business development centers, he said. Additionally, there are small-business mentors to help guide veterans, special veterans-only loans of up to $500,000 to start or expand a business, and micro-loans of up to $50,000 to help when a business is in trouble.

Improvements also are being made in the transition classes provided to service members, in hopes of better tailoring them to individual needs. The stalled veterans’ employment legislation would make attendance at the transition classes mandatory for most separating and retiring service members — a requirement aimed more at getting military commanders to free people to attend the classes than to convince people of the importance of getting help.