Veterans’ Employment Outcomes: Recession to Recovery

Kelly A. Holder, Department of Veterans Affairs

The recession of 2007-2009 is considered to be the deepest economic downturn in the civilian labor market in the postwar era. Much has been written about the effects of the “Great Recession” on certain groups within the population. There is evidence that the recession affected workers differently depending on their sex, age, and race. Aside from reports of unemployment statistics, comparatively little has been written about the recession’s effect on economic indicators of Veterans. This report examines how Veterans fared during the Great Recession in terms of some key labor market indicators, compared with similar non-Veterans, as well as whether and how their conditions have changed during the two years of economic recovery. Analyses include comparisons of labor force participation rates, unemployment rates, duration of unemployment, reasons for unemployment, rates of full-time and part-time employment, and changes in concentrations in specific industries and occupations from July 2007 through June 2011.