Research and Insights
Employment Situation of Veterans
Each month the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) releases their employment and unemployment report. View some key insights from those reports focused on veteran employment.
IVMF Employment Research
- The Business Case for Hiring A Veteran: Beyond the Clichés
- Workforce Readiness Series
- Work After Service: Developing Workforce Readiness and Veteran Talent for the Future
- Revisiting the Business Case for Hiring a Veteran
- Workforce Readiness Alignment: The Relationship Between Job Preferences, Retention, and Earnings
- Pathways to Opportunity: Financial Flexibility and Workforce Readiness
- A Case for Patient Philanthropy, Supporting Jobs and Careers for Military-Connected Americans
- Enhancing Veterans’ Access to STEM Education and Careers
- Veteran Job Retention survey Summary
- Guide to Leading Policies, Practices & Resources: Supporting the Employment of Veterans and Military Families
- Driving Community Impact: A Case for Local Evidence-Based Coordination in Veteran and Military Family Services and the AmericaServes Initiative
- Mapping Collaboration in Veterans and Military Families Services
- Innovation in State-Level Veterans Services
- Improving Care and Service Delivery for Veterans: A Case Study of Enterprise Government Overview
- Military Times and IVMF Snapshot Polls of Veteran Community
- 2014 Military Lifestyle Survey
- 2015 Military Lifestyle Survey
Employment Research Collaborators
Wellbeing in the Workplace: Prioritizing Mental Health in corporate America
Mental health and wellness are strategic imperatives for American business. Depression, anxiety and feelings of isolation and hopelessness not only plague productivity and work quality, they can have a real impact on employee morale and our sense of shared purpose. Some of our most vulnerable employees are at greater risk of long-term health challenges, self-harm and suicide. By addressing problems and providing support early on, employers have the opportunity to prevent much more serious outcomes in their employees’ lives.
Military Spouse Employment Conceptual Framework
The Military Spouse Employment Conceptual Framework provides a comprehensive representation of factors that have the potential to influence spouses’ employment. This is a tool that can be used to develop a common understanding of the employment-related experiences of military spouses by various stakeholders.
Improving the Quality of Mental Health Care for Veterans
Veterans, especially those who deployed overseas, face elevated risks of mental health conditions. Veterans who have served since the September 11, 2001, attacks are especially vulnerable (see Figure 1). Roughly one in five veterans experiences mental health problems, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depression, and anxiety. Deployment can also increase the risk of unhealthy alcohol and drug use, substance use disorders, and suicidal behavior. If left untreated, these conditions can have long-lasting and damaging consequences, impairing relationships, work productivity, quality of life, and overall well-being for veterans and their families.
Veterans At Work
The SHRM Foundation, alongside the generous support and visionary partnership of USAA and the USAA Foundation, is committed to transforming the approach of HR professionals in attracting, hiring and retaining members of the military community. Together, we strive to provide high-quality education and resources designed to ensure the success of transitioning service members, veterans and their families in the workplace.
Veteran Employer Roadmap
USAA hascreated and compiled the best resources for hiring veterans and organized them in three categories. Discover best practices by exploring our articles and tools.
Veteran Jobs Mission
Our mission is to address the most pressing needs of veterans in finding and keeping jobs. Through this uncertain time, we’ll continue our work to ensure that America’s companies keep current and former servicemembers a key part of their long-term talent strategy.
Stand-To 2021: Advancing Veteran Employment, Education, & Health and Well-being
Nearly two decades have passed since Sept. 11, 2001. It is important to mark time and reflect on those events, but we must also take stock. How have those who served since 9/11 fared in this time? As many have made the transition to civilian life, what have we learned about their needs and how to best serve them? What gaps remain and where should we focus our efforts?
The Veteran Advantage: DAV Guide to Hiring & Retaining Veterans with Disabilities
America’s veterans answered the call of duty, and many sacrificed in
return. Now, more and more employers—both large and small—are
stepping up to repay their sacrifice, at least in some small measure,
by hiring veterans with disabilities. As a result, these employers
are realizing several benefits. When you hire a veteran, your
organization gets a loyal, team-oriented employee with job-ready
skills, tested leadership abilities and a strong, mission-focused work
ethic. Nearly 4 million veterans have a service-connected disability
and are among the most resilient members of society, having
served in the military and overcome adversity.
Challenges on The Home Front: Underemployment hits Veterans Hard
Veteran employment is critical both to the national economy—with veterans
constituting 8.3% of the adult population, and 6.4% of the civilian labor force—and to our country as well. The ability to sustain an all-volunteer force, which is a critical component of our national security, hinges on both the perception and fact of military service being a gateway to a strong career.
Thus, the success of veterans after service, and the positive perception of veterans as assets to their employers and communities, is vital to the success of our military. For this and many other reasons, government and nongovernment organizations—both for and
not-for-profit—have invested in a variety of programs over the years to assist veterans in the civilian labor market.
Support Needs of Post-9/11 Veterans and Families
Both the Military Family Advisory Network and the Wounded Warrior Project are committed to data-driven responses to the needs of military and veteran families. The Wounded Warrior Project’s Annual Warrior Survey o!ers great insight into the pressing needs of post-9/11 veterans, especially in mental health, physical health, and finances. The Military Family Advisory Network fields a biennial Military Family Support Programming Survey, which is a holistic look at the needs of currently serving military families and veteran families, and topic-specific research on issues of concern for those populations.
The Military Family Experience 2021: Path to Recovery
Blue Star Families’ annual Military Family Lifestyle Survey (aMFLS) has been providing a comprehensive understanding of the experiences and challenges encountered by military families since 2009. It offers crucial insight and data to help inform national leaders, local communities, and philanthropic actors—functions that are even more important as decision makers assess how to support military and veteran families while the nation recovers from a global pandemic. Blue Star Families conducted its 11th annual Military Family Lifestyle Survey from September to October 2020. Capturing experiences of nearly 11,000 respondents worldwide, and generating millions of data points, it remains the largest and most comprehensive survey of active-duty, National Guard, and Reserve service members, veterans, and their families.
Stay up-to-date on the latest resources from IVMF.
Thank you to our generous sponsor, USAA, for making this resource hub possible.
