Having one of the largest forces in the world, caring for U.S. veterans when they leave the military includes helping them find gainful employment. According to a recent CareerBuilder survey, 37 percent of employers say they will actively recruit for veterans over the next 12 months – remaining flat over last year (37 percent), but still up from 33 percent in 2014.
Also remaining unchanged over 2015 is the percentage of employers that have hired a veteran in the last year (47 percent). Thirty-one percent of employers have hired veterans that returned from active duty within the last three years.
However, veterans are significantly less content with their jobs than last year. While 57 percent of veteran employees say they are satisfied and enjoy their work, this number is down eight percentage points from 65 percent in 2015. Twenty percent report working in a low-paying job (up from 19 percent in 2015), and 22 percent say they are underemployed – working a job that is below their skill level (up 2 percentage points from 2015).
The national study was conducted online by Harris Poll on behalf of CareerBuilder from August 11 to September 7, 2016 and included a sample of 231 full-time veteran workers and 2,587 hiring managers and human resources professionals across industries and company sizes.
“Veteran hiring initiatives seem to be top of mind for the majority of employers, and it is almost always a hot-button topic in an election year,” says Rosemary Haefner, chief human resources officer for CareerBuilder. “Our veterans bring a unique blend of discipline, leadership and problem-solving skills that employers would be foolish to pass up. But, it’s also up to the employer to keep these workers involved and challenged to do their best work.”
Post courtesy of CareerBuilder. CareerBuilder and its subsidiaries operate in the United States, Europe, South America, Canada and Asia. For more information, visit www.careerbuilder.com.