Obama Jobs Bill Seeks to Put Veterans to Work

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Many small businesses are reluctant to hire veterans who might have to redeploy, particularly those in the National Guard or in the reserves. The tax incentive could help lure these businesses back by offsetting the cost of losing employees, according to Joe Sharpe, director of the American Legion's economic division.

"Many of these individuals come from rural areas and they work for small companies, and when you're deployed a lot of times that brings financial hardship to that company," Sharpe said. "That's a financial burden and some companies are beginning to shy away from hiring individuals these individuals."

Many returning veterans are also at a disadvantage compared to the rest of the workforce - while they were leading patrols in Afghanistan, their civilian peers were networking, gaining experience or attending school. The GI bill offers an opportunity for veterans to obtain an education, but for the high proportion of soldiers returning to a spouse or children finding a job can take precedence over getting a degree.

"There are issues, especially with the young veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, of being behind their peers in education and civilian employment experience," said Nathan Smith, executive director of the organization Hire Heroes USA.  "The education piece is big because with the economy the way it is it's a more competitive job market, so a lot of times companies will post a job that requires a certain academic attainment level."

Losses in Key Sectors Hurt Veterans' Job Prospects

A report by the Senate's Joint Economic Committee noted that prior to the onset of the recession, veterans were more likely to be employed in industries such as construction, manufacturing and transportation that were decimated by job losses.

"These veterans also were less likely to be employed in education and health services, the only major sector that added jobs during the Great Recession," the report read.

That's not to say that veterans lack skills that make them employable. Often, the issue is relaying to employers how their experience in the military would serve a company well. That can be more abstract skills like leadership or risk management, or it can be something more concrete. Mike Haynie, executive director of the Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse, recalled talking to a young man who had operated a tank in the Marines. His resume said simply "tank driver," making no mention of his experience with the complex hydraulic and electronic systems that allow a tank to function.

"Operating a tank is about as high tech as high tech gets," Haynie said. "But that young man didn't see a path to represent the skills he had in that way."