Survey of Veterans - Unemployment Fell in 2013

Unemployment Rate for Veterans - White House Chart. 

Here are highlights of 2013 job data on veterans, based on a special survey of veterans as well as the regular BLS sample of civilian employment. The data were released today (March 20) by the BLS:

• Unemployment among Gulf War II veterans was down slightly to 9.0 percent in 2013.  For all veterans, it fell to 6.6 percent. The unemployment rate for all female veterans declined to 6.9 percent. The rate for male veterans fell to 6.5 percent.  Among the 722,000 unemployed veterans, 60 percent were 45 years old and over; 35 percent were 25-44, and 5 percent were 18-24. (Tables A, 2A.) 
• Number of Veterans by Period of Service.  The country's 21.4 million veterans were 9 percent of the civilian non-institutional population 18 and over. Veterans are more likely than nonveterans to be men and to be older than nonveterans, partly because veterans who served during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam era account for nearly one-half (9.8 million) of all veterans, and only men were drafted. More than one-fourth of veterans (6.1 million) served during the Gulf War era. Another one-fourth (5.5 million) served outside the designated wartime periods. (Table 1.) 
• Variation by State. The unemployment rate of veterans varied by state from above 10 percent in Michigan and New Jersey to below 4 percent in Delaware, Iowa, North Dakota, Vermont, and Virginia. (Table 6A.) 
• Gulf War II Veterans.  Of the nation's veterans, 2.8 million served during Gulf War era II. Of them, 20 percent were women, compared with 4 percent of veterans from World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam era. More than half of Gulf War II veterans were aged 25-34.  Among Gulf War II veterans, the unemployment rates for men (8.8 percent) and women (9.6 percent) were not statistically different from the prior year (9.5 percent and 12.5 percent). Among women, the unemployment rate for Gulf War II veterans (9.6 percent) was higher than the rate for nonveterans (6.8 percent).  The unemployment rate for male Gulf War II veterans (8.8 percent) was higher than the rate for male nonveterans (7.5 percent) in 2013. (Tables A,1, 2A, 2C.)
• Unemployment by Age among Gulf War II Veterans. The unemployment rates differed by age. Male Gulf War II veterans18-24 had a higher unemployment rate, 24.3 percent, than male nonveterans of the same age group, 15.8 percent. For those 25-34, male veterans also had a higher rate, 9.2 percent, than male nonveterans, 7.5 percent. For men 35 and older, unemployment rates were little different for Gulf War II veterans and nonveterans. (Table 2B.) 
• Occupations of Gulf War II Veterans. Veterans of Gulf War II and nonveterans had similar occupations in 2013 after accounting for gender. About one-third of the employed men in both groups worked in management and professional occupations, a higher proportion than in any other major occupational group. Among employed women, more than 40 percent of Gulf War II veterans and nonveterans worked in management and professional occupations.  A higher proportion of employed Gulf War II veterans worked in the public sector in 2013, 28 percent, than employed nonveterans, 14 percent. The federal government employed 16 percent of Gulf War II veterans, eight times the share (2 percent) of employed nonveterans. Of Gulf War II veterans, 40 percent reported serving in Iraq or Afghanistan. These veterans had an unemployment rate of 10.2 percent, little different from Gulf War II veterans who served elsewhere (10.9 percent). (Tables 4, 5, 10.) 
• Gulf War I Veterans.  For the 3.2 million veterans who served during Gulf War I (August 1990 to August 2001), the proportion that were women (19 percent) was similar to that of Gulf War II veterans. Almost all Gulf War I veterans were age 35 and over (91 percent) in 2013, compared with 41 percent of Gulf War II veterans. In 2013, the unemployment rates for male and female Gulf War I veterans were 5.7 percent and 5.3 percent, respectively, lower than the rates for their Gulf War II veteran counterparts (8.8 percent and 9.6 percent, respectively). These differences in the unemployment rates reflect, at least in part, the older age profile of veterans who served during Gulf War I. Younger workers, veterans or nonveterans, are more likely to be unemployed than older workers. Unemployment rates of Gulf War I veterans were little different from their nonveteran counterparts of the same age and gender groups. (Tables 1, 2A, 2B, 2C.) 
• Veterans of World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam Era.  Of all veterans, 9.8 million served during World War II, the Korean War, or the Vietnam era. All of them were at least 55 years old, and more than 70 percent were at least 65 years old. Nearly all (96 percent) of these veterans were men. In 2013, 30.0 percent of male veterans of these wartime periods were in the labor force, and their unemployment rate was 6.5 percent. Male veterans of these wartime periods had lower labor force participation rates than did male nonveterans in the same age categories. (Tables 1, 2B.) 
• Veterans of Other (Non-War) Service Periods.  A total of 5.5 million veterans served on active duty during "other service periods," mainly between the Korean War and the Vietnam era, and between the Vietnam era and Gulf War I. This group is concentrated in two age ranges - 38 percent were 45-54 and another 38 percent were 65 years and over, for a total of 76 percent. Men account for 9 in 10 veterans of "other service periods". Among most age groups, male veterans of service periods between the designated wartime periods had unemployment rates that were little different than those of male nonveterans. (Tables 1, 2A, 2B.)
• Disabled Veterans. About 3.2 million veterans, or 15 percent,  reported a service-connected disability. The rate was nearly twice the overall rate, 29 percent, for Gulf War II veterans. Veterans with a service-connected disability had an unemployment rate of 6.2 percent, little different from the rate for veterans with no disability (6.6 percent). One in three employed veterans with a service-connected disability worked in the public sector, a higher share than veterans with no disability, for whom the ratio was one in five. Regardless of period of service, 31 percent of employed veterans with a disability worked in federal, state, or local government, much higher than the 19 percent of veterans with no disability and 13 percent of nonveterans. The federal government employed 19 percent of veterans with a disability, nearly three times the rate, 7 percent, of veterans with no disability, and 2 percent of employed nonveterans. (Tables 7, 8.) 
• Disabled Veterans by Severity of Disability.  Veterans with a service-connected disability are assigned a disability rating from 0 to 100 percent, in increments of 10 percentage points, depending on the severity of the condition. Among veterans with a service-connected disability, 35 percent reported a disability rating below 30 percent, while about 3 in 10 had a rating of 60 percent or higher. Veterans with a service-connected disability rating below 30 percent (i.e., 56 percent of all veterans) were nearly twice as likely to be in the labor force as those with a rating of 60 percent or higher (i.e., 28.9 percent of veterans). 
• Employment and Unemployment among Disabled Veterans. Of Gulf War II veterans with a service-connected disability, 70.5 percent were in the labor force, lower than the labor force participation rate of 85.4 percent for veterans from this period with no service-connected disability. Among Gulf War II veterans, the unemployment rate of those with a disability was 8.6 percent, not statistically different from those with no disability (11.1 percent). Nearly 20 percent (589,000) of veterans who served during Gulf War I reported a service-connected disability. Their labor force participation rate (71.3 percent) was lower than the rate for veterans from the era who did not have a disability (86.8 percent). Unemployment rates for Gulf War I veterans with service-connected disabilities, 4.1 percent, was not  statistically different from that of those without, 6.5 percent. Among the 1.3 million veterans with a service-connected disability from World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam eras, 16.8 percent were in the labor force, compared with 30.3 percent of veterans from these periods without. The unemployment rate of veterans with a disability from these wartime periods was 7.6 percent, not statistically different from their counterparts with no disability (5.3 percent). Veterans with a service-connected disability from other service periods had a labor force participation rate of 55.5 percent, below the 56.2 percent for veterans with no disability from these periods. Among veterans from other service periods, the unemployment rates of those with service-connected disabilities was 2.7 percent, not statistically different from the 5.3 percent for other veterans. (Tables 7, 8.)
• Unemployment among Reserve or National Guard Members. Nearly 30 percent of Gulf War veterans were reported to be current or past members of the Reserve or National Guard. Unemployment rates were similar for those veterans compared with other veterans. Among Gulf War II veterans, those who were current or past members of the Reserve or National Guard had an 85.4 labor force participation rate, higher than the 77.4 percent rate for those who had never been members. For veterans of Gulf War I, labor force participation rates were similar for members and nonmembers. (Table 9.)

For links to all the original data by table, with full definitions and sources, go here.