Older Vets Make Up Most Of Unemployed, New VA Report Shows

Veterans ages 18 to 54 had similar, or slightly lower, rates of unemployment than their civilian counterparts from 2000-2013, but older veterans were more likely than their peers to be unemployed, according to a new report by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The report also shows that the majority of veterans who were unemployed – 60 percent – were 45 and older, and that nearly a third were veterans who served after 2001. The unemployment rate for that latest generation of veterans fell to 5.7 percent in November – down from 9.9 percent a year ago. The newest women veterans face a higher unemployment rate than men: 8.1 percent, compared to 5.3 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The unemployment rate for the U.S. as a whole was 5.8 percent in November.