How Unfilled Jobs in the United States Are Affecting Veterans

Nancy Anderson
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Millions of unfilled jobs in America show that companies want to hire the right people, but they may have trouble finding employees with the correct qualifications. More than one million veterans could leave the military by 2016, and these men and women need jobs in the private sector. These two scenarios represent a win-win situation for veterans and several sectors of the economy.

Manufacturing

Programs from Veteran's Affairs and from the nation's largest manufacturers help train veterans for jobs in the manufacturing industry. In 2012, the Get Skills to Work program launched. This coalition tried to fill more than 600,000 manufacturing jobs across the United States, and manufacturers project to have 2.5 million job openings by 2017 as older workers retire. GE, Alcoa, Lockheed-Martin and Boeing planned to fill 15,000 positions in the first run of this coalition. If everything goes according to plan, manufacturers and veterans should have steady streams of positions and employees.

Transportation

The trucking industry faces a shortage of around 300,000 drivers, and military veterans with experience driving big machinery in the military can quickly transition to a civilian job. Veterans can start earning wages for driving over-the-road trucks within weeks of starting a training program. Several trucking companies have schools, and veterans can plug into these schools to start a career in transportation.

Tech

Silicon Valley firms, such as Facebook, HP, Cisco and Intuit, want to hire veterans interested in jobs within the tech industry. As such, Vets in Tech helps sponsor programs that teach principles of coding and IT systems to veterans. One of the difficulties many veterans face is that firms and former military members may not know how military skills translate to civilian jobs. Vets in Tech helps bridge the gap by matchmaking veterans with potential jobs in the tech industry.

Cybersecurity is a major issue, and PricewaterhouseCoopers plans to train up to 1,000 workers to fill consulting positions. PwC believes former members of the military can solve complex problems, take on leadership roles and work well under pressure. The tech firm starts with a four-week, intensive coding course followed by certification training. Veterans already have the soft skills for these positions, and PwC fills the gaps by training and certifying employees. The job growth, and unfilled positions, is expected to increase in the cybersecurity sector, as up to 70 percent of jobs at cybersecurity firms are unfilled.

Why Hire a Veteran?

Veterans have unique skill sets that make them ideal for many types of unfilled jobs. Veterans get the job done because their entire goal in the military is to accomplish a mission. This translates into finishing projects ahead of deadlines. Veterans, in general, are independent thinkers who work hard every day, and the work ethic of a veteran is second to none.

Veterans already have advanced skills through their time in the military, and those skills could easily translate to jobs in several industries. The public and private sectors need to continue to work together to take care of these men and women after they leave the service by matching veterans with appropriate jobs.

Photo Courtesy of Jonathan Greenwald at Flickr.com
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  • Nancy Anderson
    Nancy Anderson •

    @Erin thanks for your comment. Speaking from personal experience, it may take a few days for the veteran to acclimate to the job and their surroundings but then they should be able to settle down and blend in. Service members are used to moving from base to base and job to job so it's just another move.

  • Erin H.
    Erin H. •

    I believe that veterans have to go through an adjustment period when returning to civilian life. It only seems natural and normal that there would be an adjustment period when transitioning back into civilian life, regardless of someone's role in the military. With so many vets returning to civilian life, should a hiring manager have concerns about this?

  • Duncan Maranga
    Duncan Maranga •

    I personally admire the work ethic of veterans. These are people whose rule number one is taking instructions with utmost dedication. They have been trained to allow no room for error or delay of action and I believe, with proper training, they can contribute a great deal in transforming work environments to increase yields.

  • Nancy Anderson
    Nancy Anderson •

    Thanks for your comments. @Catherine not all veterans spent time in Afghanistan or in other combat areas. Not all of them are suffering with PTSD or other mental disorders. Certainly those are the ones you hear about in commercials and in the news but that's probably just a small percentage when you take the overall military into account. @Jay thanks for that. Employers can get a very well-rounded employee when they hire a vet - from work ethic, to dedication, to knowledge. Hopefully more employers will sit up and take notice and hire those vets. So appalling to see how many veterans are currently homeless and no one ever says one word about it in the media. They just brush it under the wrong because it makes us look bad. I know, from personal experience, that, for the past several years, when seeing my doctor at the VA Hospital, I am asked about my living conditions. The VA has a goal to get all Veterans off the street and into a home and a job.

  • Jay Bowyer
    Jay Bowyer •

    Considering the amount of advanced technology in the military nowadays, the tech industry may be one of the best sectors for vets. Military veterans have a totally unique technological insight because they've used tech in unusual and often dangerous circumstances. When companies hire vets, they gain the ability to see their own technological products from an entirely different perspective, thus inscreasing their profit potential!

  • CATHERINE S.
    CATHERINE S. •

    How much incentive is needing to get companies in these various sectors to hire veterans? Based on the fact that unemployment rates have not changed, the fact that there are unfilled jobs doesn't seem to be enough to motivate companies for implementing new strategies to recruit and hire veterans. Also, wouldn't physical and mental health problems of veterans also need to be addressed in this country in a more effective way for this to happen?

  • William Browning
    William Browning •

    I disagree about the biggest unfilled jobs crisis that affects veterans. The VA has tons of unfilled jobs in hospitals and medical facilities, which is why so many veterans lack even basic care from doctors and why it takes months to get an appointment. The federal government needs to shift money from the Department of Defense to Veterans Affairs now to help our vets suffering from injuries, PTSD and other medical maladies.

  • Abbey Boyd
    Abbey Boyd •

    I love the idea that there are companies and programs focused on employing our veterans. They bring a lot of skill with them to the private sector, and are very deserving of good jobs after serving out country. Is the military itself doing anything to connect these veterans with these programs? Is there a transitioning program in the military that helps them find the right programs, or are they left to find these on there own once they've been discharged?

  • Katharine M.
    Katharine M. •

    My friend works for Veterans' Affairs and has helped many veterans to find fulfilling and challenging jobs that draw upon their military experience. The connections might not always be obvious, but they do exist. For example, veterans excel in transportation jobs not just because they're used to driving big vehicles but because they're used to navigating unfamiliar terrain.

  • Nancy Anderson
    Nancy Anderson •

    Thanks for the comments. @Jacob there are many programs out there for veterans. They need to pursue these prior to being discharged because this way they will have all of the help that they need through the transitional assistance programs that are offered on most bases. I believe that the government is behind "hiring our heroes" but they have to be careful because this could be discrimination against non-military job seekers.

  • Jacob T.
    Jacob T. •

    Are the programs mentioned in this article easy for veterans to find and participate in? We've shown a consistently poor ability to care and provide for our veterans as part of any national program or government agency. Are members of the private sector actively recruiting veterans into the training and job placement programs?

  • Shannon Philpott
    Shannon Philpott •

    Veterans are often very employable in any industry. As long as they are trained to sell and market their transferrable skills, their opportunities should increase and hopefully can be matched with positions they desire. The military does offer programs to transition retiring military members into the private sector. Partnerships with local corporations/companies may help to fill this need.

  • Lydia K.
    Lydia K. •

    I think the PWC cybersecurity training program for vets is a great idea. Some vets already have an IT background so perhaps when this is the case, they just need training on how to apply what they know outside a military environment. It sounds like Vets in Tech provides a valuable service. I think when more recruiters are trained to read military resumes, companies may be able to fill jobs faster.

  • Nancy Anderson
    Nancy Anderson •

    Thanks for the comments. @Mike many veterans get certified on all types of equipment during their time in and that includes in transportation. Many are put through classroom and practical training and receive a specialized license that they can use outside of the service. @Kellen so true - there is always one that doesn't conform to the standards but, for the most part, you could lump all veterans together as they all learn the same work ethic and will work to get the job done right the first time. Maybe you shouldn't hire a veteran just because he was a veteran but what he brings to the table should at least keep him in the running for the position. What that veteran brings will not be found in a non-veteran so that needs to be considered.

  • Kellen P.
    Kellen P. •

    There are some excellent points made here, but I disagree with lumping all veterans together. "Veterans get the job done" is anecdotal, not the objective truth. Their service to the country is extraordinarily valuable, but it doesn't automatically make them better employees than civilians. I think it is important to evaluate veterans like any other candidate and not give them special treatment. It could lead to a big hiring mistake.

  • Mike Van de Water
    Mike Van de Water •

    Interesting article! What kinds of other organizations are out there that can hook up veterans with current job postings, specifically within the transportation industry? Are there any military jobs that correspond directly to a special class of civilian driver's license? A lot of transportation jobs require special a special driver's license, so it would be helpful if veterans were eligible for such a license immediately after leaving the military.

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