In appreciation of those who have served our military, past and present, and their families, this month's Local Look blog post will focus on veterans in the region, their employment status statewide, and the available resources to assist them in gaining successful employment.

According to the American Community Survey, in the seven-county Arrowhead region, there are 28,540 veterans or 8.3 percent of the 342,388 veterans in the state. St. Louis County had over 16,000 veterans, or more than 57 percent of all the veterans in Northeast Minnesota.

Veterans with service during the Vietnam era make up nearly 40 percent of all veterans in Northeast Minnesota, similar to statewide numbers. In addition, there were about 6,400 veterans in Northeast Minnesota with service time during the Gulf War eras, a time frame that extends back to 1990 and goes to present day. This cohort exceeds the number of veterans from the Korean War and World War II in the region, but this younger cohort of veterans is still outnumbered by nearly 5,000 vets from the Vietnam War in the region (Table 1).

Many of these veterans have come back and contributed to the local economy. The ongoing rebound of the economy from the 2008-2009 recession has provided better employment outcomes for our veterans in the past couple years. In Minnesota, the unemployment rate for veterans in 2016 dropped to 4.0 percent. This was about 5 percentage points less than it was during 2009 and 2010, during the peak of the recession.

Not only has there been a considerable decrease in the unemployment rate of veterans, the labor force participation rate has spiked up during the recovery period as well. The labor force participation rate for veterans 18-64 years old was at 76.3 percent in 2010, but has climbed over 4 percentage points and is now at 80.6 percent, about the same rate it was prior to the recession (Figure 1).

While the number of unemployed veterans has dropped and their participation in the labor force has increased, there still remains work to be done to ensure that those who have served in the military have meaningful economic opportunities when they return home. As the labor market tightens in the region and the state, businesses can attract and retain the skills, knowledge, and abilities that veterans provide to the workplace.

When asking what businesses can do to successfully onboard veterans, Timothy Trumbull, a Local Veterans Employment Representative (LVER) with DEED in Northeast Minnesota, said, "Many military specialties are combat related, but there are many skills and experiences that every veteran possesses that translate well to the business world. Employers should recognize that veterans' skill-sets might not be a direct match for the open position, but their technical aptitude will allow them to develop the skills quickly. Try to discover the specific duties veterans performed in the service, as they may surprise you with their versatility."

DEED has employment services specifically targeted at veterans, with the aim of connecting employers searching for quality candidates and veterans searching for career opportunities. For example, here are three easy steps employers can take to successfully hire veterans:

1. Post your job openings on MinnesotaWorks.net.
2. Contact a Veterans Employment Representative, available at the WorkForce Centers in the region.
3. Connect with your local Yellow Ribbon network.

Veterans often face challenges when looking for employment, especially those that are readjusting to civilian life after military duty. Some of these barriers are similar to those faced by civilians such as securing child care and transportation, but dealing with physical disability and/or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and the stigma surrounding it can be hardships that the veteran must deal with in their search for meaningful employment.

Minnesota WorkForce Centers provide access to Disabled Veterans Outreach Program Specialists (DVOPS) who provide intensive case managed services designed to assist veterans with the development and execution of a job search strategy, and provide one-to-one guidance on various aspects of job search. These may include, but are not limited to resume development, interviewing skills, networking and use of social media, and direct referral to employers with available jobs.

If you are a veteran and seeking employment, the steps below can help:

1. Contact a Veterans Employment Representative: While working with employers, these representatives also work one-on-one with veterans to provide custom-tailored services.
2. Post your resume on MinnesotaWorks.net.
3. Beyond these resources, veterans seeking employment should also visit DEED's main page for veterans employment services. From this site, veterans can find information on upcoming career fairs, select employer hiring events, job club networking, job transition meetings, and more.

Lastly, another resource for veterans is CareerOneStop, where veterans can find information on skills, careers, wages, and more. There is a wealth of information for veterans to help them gain and retain employment including: Matching military skills to civilian careers, education options, transition resources, unemployment benefits, health care, food support, housing and energy assistance, as well as many other topics. This information is also available for specific veteran types, such as those with a disability and women veterans.

For More Information

Contact Erik White at erik.white@state.mn.us or 218-302-8413.