OLMIS

by Brooke Jackson-Winegardner, Jim Booker
Published Oct-22-2009

The Many Resources for Veterans Characteristics of Oregon's Veterans

In July of this year, about 2,800 members of Oregon's National Guard were deployed to Iraq. When they return in the spring of 2010, these servicemen and women will begin the process of readjusting to normal life; for some, this will include finding a job.

Official projections from Oregon's Office of Economic Analysis indicate that employment will only have just started to rebound next spring, thus job opportunities will still be hard to come by, even for these skilled veterans.

Thankfully, there are a wealth of resources designed to help veterans prepare for and find employment.

The Oregon Employment Department has 25 staff members around the state who are specially trained and dedicated to the task of helping veterans find employment. These staff members work one-on-one with veterans, evaluating their knowledge, skills, and abilities, and determining how their military training translates into job-market skills. Staff then match veterans to job openings or connect them with training resources so the veterans can continue to improve their skills.

In 2008, the Employment Department helped 36,000 veterans - more than 8,000 of whom had served in recent conflicts. These veterans represented about 10 percent of the individuals who used the state's free employment services program, iMatchSkills.

Many of the programs used by the Employment Department to help veterans find jobs were developed at the federal level. For instance, the Employment Department hosts three-day workshops to educate veterans about the labor market as part of the Transition Assistance Program (TAP), which was created by the U.S. Department of Labor. Workshop attendees learn about job searches, current occupational and labor market conditions, resume and cover letter preparation, and interviewing techniques.

The Employment Department also participates in the Yellow Ribbon program. It is one of the largest partnerships in the state and is managed by the Oregon Military Department, although the design of the program comes from national legislation proposed in 2007. Yellow Ribbon events are held around the state. They bring together all of the resources available to returning soldiers, such as employment, education, and health care information. This program makes it easier for veterans to access information and the diverse benefits available to them.

Some of the employment assistance for veterans comes from indirect efforts. For instance, the Hire Vets First campaign ­- which is a national program - uses marketing efforts to educate employers about the benefits of hiring veterans. The Employment Department has expanded on this campaign with the assistance of public and private groups. Together these partners use job fairs, public service announcements, and other media in order to reach employers.

All of these programs have proven very beneficial to veterans and to employers. Take Paul Yackley of Stimson Lumber, for instance. Paul has hired several veterans for his manufacturing company with the assistance of the Employment Department. Not only does Paul find employees who have a good attitude and the right skills, he also saves time and money on the hiring process.

"I remember Veteran Representative Kurt Carlsen (Hillsboro) sent me a guy," Paul recalls. "The next day we interviewed him, and boom, he was on. Now anytime you expedite the hiring process you're saving money and you're getting someone into your workforce quicker so you're not paying overtime to fill those slots."

So who are Oregon's veterans, exactly?

Well, in addition to the Guardsmen due back in the spring, Oregon is currently home to more than 19,000 veterans of the conflicts of the past eight years. They represent about 5.5 percent of Oregon's 349,000 veterans. Individuals who served in the Vietnam War account for 37 percent of Oregon's veterans - the largest portion of any service era. Nearly the same portion (37.8%) of Oregon's veterans served during World War II, the Korean War, or the Gulf conflicts of the 1990s. The remaining 20 percent or 68,000 veterans served between these conflicts or prior to World War II.

Most of Oregon's veterans are white, non-Hispanic males. More than half are age 35 to 64. Compared to the state's total population, veterans tend to be somewhat older (Graph 1). Only 7 percent of veterans are under age 35, while nearly 30 percent of the total adult population is under age 35. On the other end of the age scale, about 17 percent of the total population is 65 or older, while nearly 40 percent of the veteran population is in this age group.

About 93 percent of Oregon's veterans have at least a high school degree, which is a slightly larger portion than the total adult population (87%). Many veterans (68%) also have at least some college education. About one-quarter of Oregon's veterans have a bachelor's degree, compared to 28 percent of the total population.

Nearly 76 percent of veterans participated in the labor force in 2008, which was a slightly smaller portion than in the total adult population (78%). Part of this disparity might come from the fact that more than one-quarter of the veteran population is disabled, which is a significantly larger portion than in the total population (16%).

Despite the lower labor force participation, the median income of veterans in 2008 was about $34,200. The median income of $26,000 for the total population is about the same as the median income of female veterans, who account for 6 percent of Oregon's veterans. Male veterans earned about $8,900 more than their female counterparts in 2008.

All veterans - no matter what their personal background or which branch of the military they served in - learn the same fundamental skills during their time of service, including hard work, time management, leadership, and decision making. These are the same skills that employers consider the most important, making veterans a great choice as employees.