Employment Situation of
Veterans 2009
Submitted with the Statement of
Philip L.
L Rones
Deputy Commissioner
Bureau of Labor Statistics
before
b
f
the
h
Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity
of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs
April 15, 2010
Statement available online at
http://www.bls.gov/cps/demographics.htm#vets
Where do the data come from?

The data are collected as part of the Current Population
Survey (CPS). The CPS is a monthly survey of about
60,000 households.

The CPS is a joint program between the Bureau of Labor
Statistics (BLS) and the Census Bureau.

It is the source of civilian employment and
unemployment data, including the national
unemployment rate.

Questions
are included
Q
ti
i l d d in
i the
th survey that
th t identify
id tif
veterans and their period of service (when they served).
Who are veterans?

Veterans are men and women who served on active

Nonveterans are men and women who have never
duty in the U.S. Armed Forces and were civilians at
the time of the survey. Members of the Reserve and
National Guard are counted as veterans if they have
ever been called to active duty.
served on active duty in the U.S. military.
Periods of Service

Labor force statistics are available by these periods of
service:
Gulf War era II =
Gulf War era I =
Vietnam era
=
Korean War
=
World War II
=
Other service periods
Sept. 2001- present
Aug. 1990 - Aug. 2001
Aug. 1964 - April 1975
July 1950 - Jan.
Jan 1955
Dec. 1941- Dec. 1946
= All other time periods
“Other service periods” are the dates between war periods:
May 1975 - July 1990, Jan. 1947 - June 1950,
Feb. 1955 - July 1964, Nov. 1941 or earlier
NOTE: The CPS monthly survey does not identify where a veteran served.
Data on veterans are available monthly from the
Current Population Survey (CPS)

Veterans data are published monthly in the
Employment Situation news release.

p such
Additional tables are available from BLS on topics
as:
 Age, sex, race, and Hispanic ethnicity
 Occupation and industry
 Full or part-time
part time status
 Class of worker (private, government, self-employed,
unpaid family worker)
 Duration of unemployment
Additional data are available from the
veterans supplement

Collected every 2 years since 1985; conducted
annually beginning in 2009. (August 2009, July 2010,
August 2011, August 2012).

Co-sponsored by the Veterans’ Employment and
Training Service (VETS) and the Department of
Veterans Affairs (VA).
( )

Provides additional information about veterans such
as presence and rating of service-connected
service connected
disability, Reserve or National Guard status, and
service in a combat or war zone.
E
Employment
l
Situation
Si
i
off Veterans
V
Characteristics of veterans
Chart 1. Of the 22 million veterans, the largest
group is from WWII
WWII, Korean War
War, and Vietnam era
Gulf War-era II
veterans (8.7%)
Gulf War-era I
veterans (13
(13.1%)
1%)
Other service
periods (26.8%)
WWII, Korean War, and Vietnam-era
veterans (51.3%)
NOTE: Gulf War-era II veterans served anywhere on active duty since September 2001. Gulf War-era I veterans
served anywhere between August 1990 and August 2001.
SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, annual averages 2009
Chart 2. Most veterans are men
Percent of total
100
Women
Men
8
3
18
90
80
56
70
60
50
92
97
82
40
30
44
20
10
0
Veterans
WWII, Korean War,
and Vietnam era
Gulf War-era II
veterans
SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, annual averages 2009
Nonveterans
Chart 3. Overall,, veterans are older than nonveterans
Percent of total
39
40
Veterans
35
Nonveterans
30
25
25
19
20
20
19
17
14
15
14
14
11
10
7
5
1
0
18-24
25-34
35-44
Age
45-54
55-64
SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, annual averages 2009
65+
Chart 4. Most Gulf War-era II veterans are under
35 years old
Percent of total
55
49
50
Gulf War-era II veterans
Nonveterans
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
19
16
20
19
16
14
15
14
14
10
4
5
0
0
18-24
25-34
35-44
Age
45-54
55-64
SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, annual averages 2009
65+
Chart 5. Among men, veterans age 18-24 are
somewhat more likely
y than nonveterans to be
employed
Employed as a percent of population
90
78.5
80
80.6
Male veterans
85.0 83.6
77.0
80.8
67.6
70
62.0
60
Male nonveterans
59.9
55.9
50
40
30
23 0
23.0
17.9
20
10
0
18-24
25-34
35-44
Age
45-54
SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, annual averages 2009
55-64
65+
Chart 6. Women of similar ages are employed at
about the same rates
Employed as a percent of population
Female veterans
80
75.2
70
60
66.5
68.6
70.4
74.3
Female nonveterans
71.4
55.8 55.4
53.9
56.4
50
40
30
20
9.5
10
12.8
0
18-24
25-34
35-44
Age
45-54
SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, annual averages 2009
55-64
65+
Chart 7. WWII, Korean War, and Vietnam-era
veterans tend to have lower employment
p y
rates,,
largely reflecting their age
Employed as a percent of population
90
81.0
80
75.0
70
60
50
55.1
50.1
40
35.4
30
20
10
0
Veterans, all
service periods
Gulf War era II
Gulf War era I
WWII, Korean
War, and Vietnam
era
SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, annual averages 2009
Other service
periods
Chart 8. Employment
p y
varies little by
y combat status
Employed as a percent of population
90
Combat veterans
80
Noncombat veterans
75.0
75.0
80.1
83.2
70
60
50
51.4
51.4
55.2
43.9
36.1
40
29.1
30
20
10
0
Veterans, all
service periods
Gulf War era II
Gulf War era I
WWII, Korean
War, and Vietnam
era
NOTE: Combat or war zone status was not reported for about 1 in 6 veterans.
SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, annual averages 2009
Other service
periods
Chart 9. Male veterans and female veterans have
similar unemployment rates by period of service
Unemployment rate
12
Men
9.9
10
8
11.5
Women
8.1
8.0
10.3
7.8
6
4
2
0
Veterans
Gulf War-era II veterans
Nonveterans
NOTE: The unemployment rates of male and female Gulf War-era II veterans are similar. The unemployment rate for
female Gulf War-era II veterans is based on a relatively small sample. Small samples have large standard errors.
SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, annual averages 2009
Chart 10. Among veterans who served sometime
since August 1990, there is little difference in the
unemployment rates of those with or without a
service-connected disability
Unemployment rate
12
11.4
10.4
10
91
9.1
91
9.1
9.7
8
6
4
2
0
Disabled,, total
Less than 30
percent disabled
30 to 50 p
percent
disabled
60 p
percent or
higher disabled
Service-connected disability status
SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, August 2009 veterans supplement
Not disabled
Chart 11. Among veterans who served sometime
since August 1990, those with a service-connected
disability are less likely to be employed than those
without a service-connected disability
Employed as a percent of population
90
77.3
80
70
70.7
81.9
75.7
60
55.8
50
40
30
20
10
0
Disabled,, total
Less than 30
percent disabled
30 to 50 p
percent
disabled
60 p
percent or
higher disabled
Service-connected disability status
SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, August 2009 veterans supplement
Not disabled
Chart 12. 1 of 5 employed disabled veterans
works for the Federal government
Percent of employed
100
8.1
12.2
80
2.1
9.8
13.8
7.6
6.6
Other workers
12.4
State and local
government workers
19.9
Federal government
workers
60
40
77.5
Private
nonagricultural
l
l wage
and salary workers
68.9
61.1
20
0
Nonveterans
Nondisabled veterans
Disabled veterans
NOTE: “Other workers” includes persons employed in agriculture, the unincorporated self-employed, and unpaid family
workers. Totals may not add to 100 percent because of rounding.
SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, August 2009 veterans supplement
Chart 13. Current or past members of the Reserve or
National Guard have higher employment rates and
lower unemployment rates than veterans who never
were members of the Reserve or National Guard
Gulf War-era II veterans,
August 2009
Employed as a percent of population
100
80
77.2
73.2
60
40
20
0
Current or past
member of the
Reserve or
National Guard
Never a member
of the Reserve or
National Guard
Gulf War-era II veterans,
August 2009
Unemployment rate
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
13 8
13.8
10.6
Current or past
member of the
Reserve or
National Guard
Never a member
of the Reserve or
National Guard
SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, August 2009 veterans supplement
Further information is available at:
http://www bls gov/cps/demographics htm#vets
http://www.bls.gov/cps/demographics.htm#vets
or by calling (202) 691-6378