Hiring veterans just good business sense

193
Julia Gusse

By Julia Romero Gusse

Within the last year military veteran unemployment rates have dropped but for the most part vets are having a harder time than non-veterans finding jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Post 9/11, Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are the group with the highest unemployment compared to their civilian and veterans of previous conflicts. Many employers and organizations have committed to hiring veterans and a few are providing veteran hiring preferences.

It makes good business sense to hire a veteran. Most companies are hiring vets not just because they want to help them readjust to civilian life but also because of what they bring to the business table.  Most veterans learn faster because they have been trained to follow directions in a short period of time, their loyalty and teamwork skills are like no others’, and their commitment and discipline in getting the job done allows them to excel.

Veterans and non-veterans have had a difficult time finding employment since the recession hit and this is evident if you attend any job fairs. The Arizona Workforce Connection’s job fair was held at Harrah’s Ak-Chin a few weeks ago. I attended this fair as a representative of a local veteran non-profit organization (VetIT).

Of the 40 employers that I interviewed, only the Ak-Chin enterprises offer veteran hiring preferences. It is evident the Ak-Chin Indian Community values veterans and is committed to hiring veterans.

Another employer present who indicated a desire to hire veterans was Walmart and, according to their website, on Memorial Day 2015, Walmart and Sam’s Club strengthened their commitment to hire 250,000 veterans by 2020.

For those of you who were unable to attend job fair, I have included 40 of the 52 employers present at the local job fair.  Hire a veteran!

veteran jobs