The Employment Situation of Veterans – July 2021

Overview

 

Today, August 6th, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported employment rose by 943,000 in July, and the unemployment rate declined by 0.5 percentage point to 5.4 percent. Notable job gains occurred in leisure and hospitality, in local government education, and in professional and business services.[1] For veterans, unemployment decreased to 4.0 percent in July. Post-9/11 veteran unemployment decreased from 5.2 percent to 4.1 percent in July. Of the total 356,000 unemployed veterans ages 18 and over, 22 percent have been unemployed for less than five weeks and 78 percent have been unemployed for more than five weeks. The average length of unemployment is 33.8 weeks (the median is 18.4 weeks). The overall unemployment trend varies by different veteran demographic factors, however, some more than others.

With respect to age, the unemployment rate for post-9/11 veterans ages 18-24 decreased from 7.4 percent to 3.9 percent in July. The unemployment rate for post-9/11 veterans ages 25-34 decreased from 7.8 percent to 4.9 percent in July. During this period, post 9/11 veterans ages 18-24 and 25-34 were unemployed at a lower rate than their nonveteran peers of the same age group (9.7 percent and 6.3 percent respectively).

Female post-9/11 veterans experienced a decrease in unemployment, from 9.5 percent to 2.9 percent in July. The overall unemployment rate for female veterans (all cohorts) also decreased to 2.9 percent. By comparison, female nonveterans have an unemployment rate of 5.7 percent. Total male veteran unemployment saw a monthly decrease in unemployment from 4.7 percent to 4.1 percent in July. The post-9/11 male veteran unemployment decreased from 4.5 percent to 4.3 percent in July. By comparison, male nonveterans have an unemployment rate of 5.6 percent.

Black or African American post-9/11 veterans saw a monthly decrease in unemployment to 2.5 percent. This rate is lower than the 8.9 percent unemployment rate of their nonveteran counterparts. Hispanic, Latino/a, or Spanish Origin post-9/11 veterans experienced a monthly increase in unemployment to 5.0 percent. This rate is lower than the 6.5 percent unemployment rate of their nonveteran counterparts. Readers should be cautioned, however, that data on specific veteran subgroups can vary widely from month to month.

View The Series And Previous Reports

Demographics & Trends

The following tables summarize the employment situation of veterans in America based on BLS data released on August 6, 2021. These are unpublished data from the Current Population Survey, not seasonally adjusted, and represent the period ending July 2021.

 

UNEMPLOYMENT RATES FOR: June 2021 July 2021 CHANGE  (+/-) Annual Averages 2020
All Americans (18 and over) 6.0 5.5 -0.5 7.9
All Veterans 4.8 4.0 -0.8 6.5
Post-9/11 Veterans 5.2 4.1 -1.1 7.3
Gulf-War I Era Veterans 3.2 3.2 0.0 4.8
WWII, Korean War and Vietnam Era 6.1 5.9 -0.2 6.7
All Nonveterans 6.0 5.6 -0.4 8.0

 

UNEMPLOYMENT RATES FOR VETERANS
Demographic Category June 2021 July 2021 CHANGE   (+/-) Annual Averages 2020
18–24 7.4 3.9 -3.5 14.6
25-34 7.8 4.9 -2.9 8.8
35-44 4.5 4.7 +0.2 5.8
45-54 3.0 2.4 -0.6 5.0
55-64 4.0 3.7 -0.3 6.5
65 and older 6.1 5.1 -1.0 6.4
Male 4.7 4.1 -0.6 6.5
Female 5.5 2.9 -2.6 6.7
White, Anglo, Caucasian 4.7 4.1 -0.6 6.1
Black or African American 5.8 3.8 -2.0 7.5
Hispanic, Latino/a, or Spanish Origin 4.2 5.0 +0.8 7.4
Asian or Asian American  –  –  – 5.1

 

UNEMPLOYMENT RATES FOR POST-9/11 VETERANS
Demographic Category June 2021 July 2021 CHANGE   (+/-) Annual Averages 2020
18–24 7.4 3.9 -3.5 14.6
25-34 7.8 4.9 -2.9 8.8
35-44 3.2 4.3 +1.1 5.9
45-54 4.3 3.0 -1.3 5.4
55-64 3.0 1.8 -1.2 5.2
65 and older 23.0 7.6 -15.4 12.5
Male 4.5 4.3 -0.2 7.4
Female 9.5 2.9 -6.6 7.2
White, Anglo, Caucasian 4.8 4.4 -0.4 7.0
Black or African American 6.8 2.5 -4.3 6.8
Hispanic, Latino/a, or Spanish Origin 2.8 5.0 +2.2 8.7
Asian or Asian American  –  –  – 6.7

 

UNEMPLOYMENT RATES FOR NONVETERANS
Demographic Category June 2021 July 2021 CHANGE   (+/-) Annual Averages 2020
18–24 10.4 9.7 -0.7 14.6
25-34 6.4 6.3 -0.1 8.4
35-44 5.3 4.8 -0.5 6.4
45-54 4.7 4.1 -0.6 6.4
55-64 4.7 4.4 -0.3 6.8
65 and older 5.7 5.2 -0.5 7.6
Male 6.1 5.6 -0.5 7.8
Female 6.0 5.7 -0.3 8.2
White, Anglo, Caucasian 5.3 5.0 -0.3 7.2
Black or African American 9.6 8.9 -0.7 11.5
Hispanic, Latino/a, or Spanish Origin 7.2 6.5 -0.7 10.4
Asian or Asian American 5.8 5.4 -0.4 8.7

 

NOTE: Although the BLS reports the national average for those 16 and over, the tables above include only those that are 18 and over to make a more accurate comparison to the veteran population. Post-9/11 are of the Gulf War Era II (September 2001-present). Other periods of service include Gulf War Era I (August 1990-August 2001), Vietnam Era (August 1964-April 1975), Korean War (July 1950-January 1955), World War II (December 1941-December 1946). Veterans who served in more than one wartime period are classified only in the most recent one. Veterans who served during one of the selected wartime periods and another peacetime period are classified only in the wartime period. The minority-by-gender unemployment rates are not displayed due to small sample size and are more appropriately displayed as annual averages

[1] https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm