Veterans Day: Post-9/11 Veterans Earn More, Work More Hours Than Those Who Never Served in Armed Forces
The Great Frieze by Edmond Amateis on the face of the Kansas City Liberty memorial in 1926. Inscription reads "These have dared bear the torches of sacrifice and service. Their bodies return to dust but their work liveth evermore. Let us strive on to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations."
Employment among the nation’s three million post-9/11 veterans was higher from 2014 to 2018 than it was among those who never served in the armed forces, according to a new US Census Bureau report on November 10th.
In the 2014-2018 period, about 80% of post-9/11 veterans were employed compared with only 75% of nonveterans.
In contrast with older veteran groups, such as those from the Vietnam era or Gulf War, post-9/11 veterans encountered very different labor markets after returning from the armed forces. As a result, post-9/11 veterans represent a unique and growing segment of the veteran population and the broader U.S. workforce.
Employment Characteristics of Post-9/11 Veterans
In the 2014-2018 period, about 80% of post-9/11 veterans were employed compared with only 75% of nonveterans.
Among the employed, post-9/11 veterans were also more likely than nonveterans to work year-round (50 to 52 weeks a year) and full-time (35 hours or more a week). About 81% of post-9/11 veterans and 71% of nonveterans had year-round, full-time jobs.
Post-9/11 veterans worked longer hours than nonveterans – an average of two hours longer for men (44 hours a week vs. 42) and nearly three hours longer each week for women (40 hours vs. 37 hours).
They were also more likely than nonveterans to work for federal, state, or local governments. For example, 32% of post-9/11 male veterans worked in government compared to 10% of male nonveterans. In contrast, male nonveterans were more likely to work in the private sector (81% vs. 63% of post-9/11 veterans).
Post-9/11 veterans earned more than nonveterans depending on their education level: a median $46,000 a year compared to about $35,000 for nonveterans.
Occupations Among Post-9/11 Veterans
Among people employed year-round and full-time, post-9/11 veterans often were overrepresented in only a few occupation groups (Figure 1).
For instance, a greater proportion of veterans than nonveterans were employed in protective service occupations, such as police officer, firefighter and similar jobs.
Post-9/11 veterans also were frequently in installation, maintenance, and repair occupations and less regularly in office and administrative support, sales, and related occupations.
These results are roughly consistent with the notion that post-9/11 veterans seek civilian jobs that utilize their military skills and training. For more information about how veterans’ military occupations relate to their civilian employment, see How Do Recent Veterans Fare in the Labor Market?
Pages: 1 · 2
More Articles
- Women at War 1939 - 1945, The Imperial War Museums: Queen Elizabeth
- VA Disability: Clearer Claims Processing Guidance Needed for Selected Agent Orange Conditions, Publicly Released: Sep 01, 2022
- Jill Norgren’s Late Summer Reading Suggestions
- CDC: When You’ve Been Fully Vaccinated: What You Can Start to Do
- Kaiser Health Foundation: Distributing a COVID-19 Vaccine Across the U.S. - A Look at Key Issues
- Balloon Bombs and Blackouts in World War II; For Some a Familiar Time of Anxiety; Growing Up in the Second World War From England's Imperial War Museum
- Updated: COVID-19: CDC Press Briefing Transcript, Friday, February 28, 2020; How A 'Drive-through' Testing Facility in London Works
- PBS' Frontline Online: How Amazon Convinced Millions of People to Welcome “Listening Devices” Into Their Homes
- First Flight: Wheels left the ground, that first gentle lift into the air, and a magic I didn't understand moved us skyward"
- A London Journey Through the World of Codebreaking, Ciphers and Secret Communications