Tour aims to reduce jobless rate among veterans

Unemployment as a threat to national security?

You'd better believe it.

The nationwide jobless rate among veterans who served in Afghanistan and Iraq is 12 percent, well above 8.6 percent in the general population. For reservists, unemployment jumps to 14 percent. Military spouses have it worse still, with a 26 percent jobless rate.

"(Military) recruiters tell young men and women every day that they'll be better off in four years if they serve our country. The fact is, that's not true," said Kevin Schmiegel, vice president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's veterans employment program. "How are we going to recruit talented young men and women if they see those unemployment data? Why should they raise their right hand and serve in an all-volunteer force if their service isn't going to be valued or understood when they're looking for employment after they leave? This is a national security issue."

On Friday, Schmiegel and U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki came to Las Vegas to address that issue, as the U.S. Chamber partnered with Student Veterans of America and Recruit Military to host the Hiring Our Heroes-Las Vegas job fair. About 60 national and local companies, including The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Walmart, Prudential and Progressive Insurance, participated, along with roughly 500 veterans attending college or technical school in Las Vegas and elsewhere.

Vet hiring is slow for a few reasons.

First is access. The Department of Defense doesn't give employers access to active-duty military members to discuss post-service employment, Schmiegel said. Nor does the military talk civilian transition before service ends.

Plus, most veterans leaving service don't have a college degree, and language that describes their experience may not translate into corporate-speak.

So there's a need to help veterans articulate their skills in terms employers recognize -- something they received help with Friday in seminars and from employers -- as well as a need to help the private sector realize the "unique technical skills and leadership attributes" veterans offer, Schmiegel said.

It's not just about polishing résumés.

Vets must also combat perception.

Just ask Jessi Tseng and Dan Sewell.

Tseng, in town from San Francisco for the fair, served in Iraq as a human resources administrator and on the personal security detachment for a brigade commander. She graduated in 2010 with a sociology degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara, landing in the top 10 percent of her class and serving as a director for two nonprofits. After teaching English in China for a year, Tseng returned to a nonexistent job market. She said her military peers have the same problem finding work.

"There are a lot of companies out there that say they are extremely vet-friendly, but I've been applying, applying, applying, and I haven't been able to find a job," said Tseng, 25. "I think a lot of employers look at veterans and feel there's baggage, but I believe veterans have more potential to excel. They have the drive, they have the motivation, they are goal-oriented and they are mission-oriented."

Tseng found a temporary research job through an employment agency, but she longs for full-time work with a nonprofit where she can make a difference.

Sewell, 29, sent out hundreds of applications and attended three job fairs as he wrapped up bachelor's and master's degrees in industrial engineering and business administration at the University of Missouri. He received a handful of nibbles. It got so bad that Sewell and some of his peers talked about "ripping the military stuff" off of their résumés.

"People think veterans are trigger-pullers, that we go around giving each other orders, or that we're coming back with post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injuries," said Sewell, who served in Afghanistan as a munition-systems inspector for Air Force jets. "They think hiring a veteran will be more of a hassle than an asset. But we are trained to be supervisors and to have empathy and leadership skills. Employers are not understanding our value. We need to articulate that better and tell them how our experiences have shaped us as individuals and leaders."

Shinseki said the nation will miss out if it can't sort out the hiring problem. With the economy still struggling, skilled vets could boost commerce.

"These are exactly the folks you want to play a role in turning the country around," Shinseki said. "They're smart, aggressive, project-oriented youngsters who don't watch the clock. They team-build, focus on a project and get it done. They have skills, knowledge and attributes that make them ideal for companies. Companies just need to find them."

Shinseki pointed to the 12 years following World War II, when about half of the nation's 16 million war vets were educated through the first GI Bill. Those vets built the world's biggest economy, made America a global leader and won the Cold War, he said.

"We expect an opportunity for history to repeat itself. These youngsters want a chance. They're prepared for it. Now, the rest of us need to step up and offer them jobs," Shinseki said.

Hiring our Heroes has 21 more cities to visit on its 100-city first tour. It will place about 15,000 vets or spouses by the time it wraps up, Schmiegel estimated.

The job fair will return to Las Vegas in the first quarter and stop in Reno for the first time in March or April. The idea? To reach more small businesses and to let companies know that 90 percent of the occupations in the military -- from truck driver to mechanic to financial manager -- can translate directly to the private sector, Schmiegel said.

If the chamber can encourage 10 percent of its 3 million members and 10 percent of the nation's 3.7 million veteran-owned businesses to hire just one veteran by the end of 2014, the vet jobless rate will drop by half, Schmiegel said. And the program will have helped plug labor shortages in areas ranging from clean energy to health care, he said.

Contact reporter Jennifer Robison at
jrobison@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4512.