The United States saw a significant improvement in the employment situation for its veteran population. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that the average unemployment rate for veterans fell below 3% for the year, marking the lowest annual average in over two decades. This figure, though slightly higher at 3% in December compared to 2.8% in November, still represented the lowest December rate since BLS began releasing veterans’ job search data in 2000. This improvement was part of a broader economic growth trend, as the overall economy added 216,000 jobs in December, maintaining a national unemployment rate of 3.7%.
The statistics for 2023 showed that veterans ended the year with an average unemployment rate of approximately 2.8%, a notable decline from the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, when veterans’ unemployment rose to more than 11%. This improvement in veterans’ employment is particularly significant considering that over half of all veterans in America are unable to work due to age, illness, or injury. Among the employed veteran population, nearly half served in the post-Sept. 11 era, and one in seven are women.
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