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Indiana has nation’s lowest unemployment rate for military veterans

INDIANAPOLIS  — Indiana has the nation’s lowest unemployment rate for veterans, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) Employment Situation of Veterans – 2016 report. The report found that just 1.8 percent of Hoosier veterans were unemployed on average during 2016.

“Hoosier veterans bring tremendous skill and experience to Indiana’s workforce, and we should use every tool at our disposal to honor and support them when they retire,” Governor Eric J. Holcomb said. “That’s why I’m proposing income tax exemptions for military pensions—just as many other states across the nation have already done.”

The Indiana Department of Workforce Development (DWD) and its WorkOne Career Centers located in communities statewide offer comprehensive veteran placement services. Some veterans’ services include free vocational training, occupational skills assessments, direct job referrals, résumé review and interview preparation.

“In 2016, the Indiana Department of Workforce Development and our WorkOne partners assisted more than 10,000 Hoosier veterans, and more than 1,000 veterans were placed into employment opportunities via DWD veterans services,” said Steven J. Braun, DWD Commissioner. “Indiana’s workforce development community is committed to assisting those who serve our country by providing veterans with quality service when transitioning from the military to the civilian workforce.”

“These latest numbers are very exciting, and affirm what we have known for some time – Indiana is leading the way when it comes to the employment of our veterans,” said Director James M. Brown, Indiana Department of Veterans Affairs (IDVA). “We have wonderful training and transition programs for veterans, and we know from the data that word is getting out.”

Even more, to help Hoosier veterans gain the education they need to secure good jobs after serving our country, multiple state agencies—including the Indiana Commission for Higher Education (CHE), IDVA and DWD—partnered to offer a one-stop-shop for Hoosier veterans seeking information on transitioning from the military to college or careers: LearnMoreIndiana.org/military.

Information for the Employment Situation of Veterans – 2016 report was obtained from the BLS’s Current Population Survey (CPS), a monthly sample survey of about 60,000 households that provides data on employment and unemployment in the United States. Data about veterans are collected monthly in the CPS; these monthly data are the source of the 2016 annual averages presented in the report.

SOURCE: News release from Indiana Department of Workforce Development