Arizona Provides Jobs for Veterans

Arizona is better at providing jobs for veterans than the general population.

A recent report from the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics found that veterans in the state had an unemployment rate of 6.7 percent during 2009, which is lower than the national average of 8.1 percent. There were 525,000 veterans in Arizona that year, of which 266,000 were in the workforce and 206,000 were seeking full-time jobs.

The report found that Michigan had the highest veteran unemployment rate during 2009, at 15.1 percent. On the other hand, North Dakota had the lowest veteran unemployment rate, at 4.5 percent. However, that state only has 52,000 veterans, 33,000 of which are in the workforce.

There are currently about 22.2 million veterans throughout the nation, with 12.1 million active in the workforce.

The report further found:

• Male veterans ages 18 to 24 who served during Gulf War era II had an unemployment rate of 21.6 percent during 2009, which is only slightly higher than the unemployment rate for comparable non-veterans of 19.1 percent.
• Male veterans ages 18 to 24 were also more likely to participate in the labor force last year than their non-veteran counterparts at a rate of 79.1 percent versus 69.1 percent.
• Disabled veterans from all service periods had an unemployment rate of 8.2 percent during August 2009, which is only slightly lower than the 8.3 percent unemployment rate for non-disabled veterans.
• About one in three employed veterans with a service-connected disability worked in the public sector, while one in five disabled veterans were employed by the federal government.
• Gulf War era II veterans who were current or past members of the Reserve or National Guard had an unemployment rate of 10.6 percent during 2009, compared to a 13.8 percent unemployment rate for those who had not been members of those entities.