ARIZONA NEWS

Study: Post-9/11 veterans more likely to be employed and in steadier jobs

Jan 4, 2021, 4:05 AM

(Pexels Photo)...

(Pexels Photo)

(Pexels Photo)

WASHINGTON – Post-9/11 veterans are not only more likely to be employed than the general population, they are also more likely to be in jobs that are immune to recession, according to a recent report by the Census Bureau.

The Census study released in November said the unemployment rate for the nation’s 3 million post-9/11 veterans was just 4.8% between 2014 and 2018, compared to 5.0% for nonveterans during the same period. The veterans were also more likely to be working full-time, year-round jobs, putting in more hours and earning more.

The most popular job for post-9/11 veterans was in protective services, such as police and fire departments, where vets were three times as likely as nonveterans to be working. A Phoenix Police Department spokeswoman said, for example, that 20% of the department’s sworn officers have military experience.

Other common jobs for the post-9/11 veterans were in installation, maintenance and repair fields, transportation, and computer and mathematical fields, the report said.

“It doesn’t surprise me to hear that veterans are leveraging the things that they learned in the military, adding education to that, and doing very well in the job world,” said Christian Rauschenbach, assistant director of veteran services and operations for the Pat Tillman Veterans Center at Arizona State University.

The numbers were slightly different for women vets, who were more likely to be unemployed, with a 4.9% jobless rate compared to 4.6% for nonveteran women.

But the report also found that women veterans were more likely to earn a bachelor’s degree than their male counterparts – 43.6% to 31% – and that they got a better financial return on that education. While earnings were about the same for veteran and nonveteran men with a four-year college degree, veteran women were earning about $3,500 more that college-educated nonveteran women.

The report said the women’s “military experience has a distinctive effect on their earnings.”

That did not come as a surprise to Mike Ragole, commander for the American Legion Post 44 in Scottsdale. He said the Census report is “very accurate,” but he thinks it failed to give sufficient emphasis to the intangible character skills that veterans learned in the military.

“I think it omits some things about the specifics that a veteran learns while they’re on active duty that helps them get ahead in competition with folks that didn’t serve,” Ragole said.

Brian Ritter, post commander for Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1760 in Mesa, credits the military for pushing service members to get the education to complement their experience. He cited a Pentagon push in the late 2000s for soldiers to work on their college education while on active duty that, coupled with career transition services right before leaving active duty, helped prepare soldiers to find a job.

“You already have that experience,” he said. “You just don’t have the education.”

Ritter, who served in the Army from 1999 to 2019, said the report’s findings should help counter the public’s vision of those who served, which is often driven by media images that focus on homelessness, post-traumatic stress disorder and other problems.

“They think that you have that drill sergeant mentality, you’re always yelling,” he said of nonveterans. “When it’s so much more that we do instead of that.”

Ragole, who served in the Navy from 1975 to 1983, said the experiences previous generations went through as they returned from service has resulted in improved benefits for future generations of servicemembers.

Regardless of why people serve today, he said, the fact that they serve says a lot about their dedication to their country. Past veterans were either part of a national, patriotic effort like World War II, or were drafted into service, as many were during the Vietnam War. The Selective Service System said the last draft call was on Dec. 7, 1972.

Rauschenbach, an Air Force Academy graduate and a 20-year Air Force veteran, agreed with Ragole that veterans’ success in the workforce is due in large part to the skills learned while serving, which makes veterans “focused and disciplined” compared to their peers.

While he welcomed the report’s findings, he noted the previous generations of veterans were not always so lucky, specifically citing the widespread mistreatment experienced of servicemembers returning from the Vietnam War.

“Unfortunately, you can’t make it up to the folks that experienced that,” he said. “You can do right by veterans in the future.”

For more stories from Cronkite News, visit cronkitenews.azpbs.org.

We want to hear from you.

Have a story idea or tip? Pass it along to the KTAR News team here.

Arizona News

The winner of the 18th annual wildlife photo contest for Arizona Game and Fish Department was chose...

Roxanne De La Rosa

Winner chosen for 18th annual Arizona Game and Fish Department photo contest

The winner of the 18th annual wildlife photo contest for Arizona Game and Fish Department was chosen out of more than 800 entries.

15 minutes ago

Donald Trump is leading Kamala Harris in Arizona's presidential race....

KTAR.com

Donald Trump projected over Kamala Harris in race for president in Arizona

Four years after Donald Trump became the first Republican presidential candidate since 1996 to lose Arizona, he reclaimed the state's 11 electoral votes.

49 minutes ago

A Phoenix man was sentenced to seven years in prison followed by three years of supervised probatio...

Roxanne De La Rosa

Phoenix man sentenced to 7 years in prison for assaulting officers

A man was sentenced to seven years in prison followed by three years of supervised probation for assaulting police officers.

2 hours ago

Arizona's 6th Congressional District 2024 election updates...

KTAR.com

Republican Juan Ciscomani neck and neck with Democrat Kirsten Engel in race for Arizona’s CD6

The race for Arizona Congressional District 6 between Rep. Juan Ciscomani and Democratic rival Kirsten Engel has been especially nail-biting.

2 hours ago

Kari Lake has been gaining ground on Ruben Gallego since Election Day in Arizona's Senate race....

KTAR.com

Democrat Ruben Gallego stretches lead over Republican Kari Lake in tight Arizona Senate race

Democratic U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego padded his lead following the latest ballot drop over Republican Kari Lake.

2 hours ago

The City of Mesa has officially renamed Mesa Grande Cultural Park to Sce:dagĭ Mu:val Va’aki. (C...

Bailey Leasure

Mesa officially renames Grande Cultural Park to Sce:dagĭ Mu:val Va’aki

The City of Mesa has officially renamed Grande Cultural Park to Sce:dagĭ Mu:val Va’aki.

3 hours ago

Sponsored Articles

...

Midwestern University

Midwestern University Clinics – Providing Comprehensive, Thorough and Unrushed Healthcare to the Valley Community

With so many options for healthcare in the Valley, why should you choose a clinic that has graduate medical students integrated into the patient experience?

...

Bright Wealth Management

Here’s how to save money on retirement planning

PHOENIX -- With inflation still going on, people planning on retiring still face many issues on when they can retire and how much money they need to achieve it.

...

Sanderson Ford

3 storylines to get you revved up for the 2024 Arizona Cardinals

Arizona Cardinals training camp is just a couple weeks away starting on July 25, and Sanderson Ford is revved up and ready to go.

Study: Post-9/11 veterans more likely to be employed and in steadier jobs