INDIANAPOLIS -
Indiana companies are making a difference in dealing with a high unemployment rate among military veterans.
The current unemployment rate in the US is 8.3 percent, but among veterans of the second Gulf War between the ages of 18 and 24, the unemployment rate is 19.9 percent. For Gulf War II veterans between 25 and 34 years old, it's 12.4 percent.
What seems to be working for our veterans are specialized job fairs. A recent job fair in Detroit resulted in 1,300 job offers going to veterans. But many employers say putting vets to work isn't as easy as it sounds. Recruiters and veterans sometimes face challenges they hadn't counted on.
Tuesday, veterans turned out at Bankers Life Fieldhouse for the Hiring Our Heroes job fair.
Employers with jobs and veterans needing jobs aren't always speaking the same language. When Greg Veath tells recruiters what he did in the Army, he sometimes runs into problems.
"A lot of it is just the blank face. Can you put that in terms I understand?" said Veath.
Dag Brummett struggles, too. To help employers understand his skills, the former Navy lieutenant commander and pilot softens his military experience.
"I've done my fair share of leading sailors; commanding sailors," he said.
Researchers found the biggest obstacle facing companies, including those intent on hiring veterans, is figuring out how to put their military training and experience to work.
PNC Bank hired a consultant to help recruiters to translate what vets are saying and putting in their resumes.
"In the past I said I didn't get it. Now I am understanding. I know how to ask the questions," said Kimberly Robertson, PNC Bank.
The alarming number of unemployed veterans, and corporate commitments to help them, are getting national attention.
Organizers say more than 250 jobs fairs across the country put almost 10,500 veterans to work. It's an impressive number but it works out to just 40 veterans for each fair.
Organizers insist they are not disappointed.
"I don't think you can put a number on success in terms of hiring veterans. We prefer one over any," said Shaun Carter, US Chamber of Commerce.
But the numbers are concerning. More than 200,000 new veterans out of work now will be joined by tens of thousands of others coming home from war.
Resources
Indiana National Guard Employment Coordination Program
Walmart Careers With A Mission
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