Military Skills for America's Future: Leveraging Military Service and Experience to Put Veterans and Military Spouses Back to Work

This report analyzes the labor market situation of America's veterans, discusses the problems that returning veterans and military spouses face as they seek to enter or re-enter civilian employment, and outlines the measures the Administration has taken to address these labor market problems. Veterans and military families face unique challenges in the labor market. Despite having valuable military experience that in many cases is transferrable to high-growth civilian jobs, veterans frequently find formal private sector recognition of their military experiences and skill sets difficult to obtain. Frequent moves combined with different requirements for occupational licenses across state lines can make it difficult and costly for veterans and spouses of active duty military to find a job. These regular challenges have been compounded by the recession that began in December of 2007, causing veterans and military spouses to experience even greater obstacles than they have always faced in transitioning from military to civilian life or finding a new job following a move. The Obama Administration has responded aggressively to the challenges faced by veterans and military spouses in the labor market, developing policies tailored to these challenges. Since taking office, President Obama has taken key steps to support veterans in developing skills and finding work. These have included the following: (1) Expanding opportunities to obtain civilian credentials and licensing required for high-growth, high-demand occupations; (2) Creating two new veterans' tax credits; (3) Challenging the private sector to hire or train 100,000 veterans and their spouses by 2013; (4) Ensuring that the Federal Government is a role model in hiring highly-qualified veterans; (5) Improving access to intensive reemployment services; and (6) Developing online tools to help veterans find work.