016. COVID-19 & the Impact on Veteran Hiring

According to a recent study by the Bob Woodruff Foundation, there are roughly 18 million Veterans in the U.S. Many of them work in industries hit hard by COVID-19. Rising unemployment and uncertainty fuels the crisis further. As a result, some Veterans and their families do not have sufficient savings to cover their day to day expenses for more than one or two months. Furthermore, a Pew Research Study on unemployment indicates that there are more people impacted by unemployment due to COVID-19 than at the peak of the Great Depression. Particularly we see women hit the hardest with up to 14% unemployment. Active military spouse unemployment has been as much as 25% this year. As military spouses were being largely underemployed pre-COVID-19, the pandemic has an insurmountable impact on their economic and mental health. It is critical, as we weather the current pandemic, to continue pushing for veteran and military spouse employment.