July is Hire a Vet Month in Minnesota

(KNSI) – To help raise awareness about the many benefits of employing current and former U.S. military members, Governor Tim Walz proclaimed July 2021 as Hire a Veteran Month.

The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development says around 331,000 veterans live in Minnesota, and about 153,000 are of working age.

Minnesota DEED says veterans returning from recent deployments face higher unemployment and more challenges entering the civilian workforce and advancing their careers.

Director of Veterans Employment Services Ray Douha is a veteran who knows first hand the challenges returning military members face.

“When they come back to civilian life, they have to acclimate. They have to build intimacy with their loved ones. They have to get used to their neighborhoods. Those are all challenges that adds a tremendous impact on the servicemember’s reintegration into society.”

He says reintegrating service members into society is the responsibility of everybody.

Douha says hiring a veteran isn’t goodwill it good business.

“Veterans bring so much abilities and they become instant productive team members in any employer in any business out there. Service members have extensive skills and training in a broad range of technical areas and also some of the skills correlate very well directly to civilian occupations.”

While the veteran unemployment rate has dropped from 12% in 2020 to 4.8% through June of 2021, Douha says it’s still too high.

Minnesota’s overall unemployment rate was 4% in June.

For more information on hiring a vet or for resources for vets on finding work, click here.