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National Veteran Unemployment Rate Drops, Local Veterans, Job Agency React

Keeping our eye on the economy with hopeful new numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Veteran’s unemployment dropped to its lowest in the past nine months at 3.9 %, which is below the general national average.

“Had I not had a good support system I would’ve been homeless like right away.”

After years of fighting for our country for many veterans returning home becomes an even tougher battle.

Retired Marine Corps Sergeant Eric Steffens says, “Problem was keeping the job I was a sergeant in the Marine Corps I wasn’t used to hearing no, I’m used to giving an order and giving that order out and having it executed so to be the low man on the totem pole again was kind of like a tough thing to shake.”

Robert Wentworth is a retired military police officer and says, “When I got out I found out that it was like basically having to start all over and there was very little in my career field that gave me a step up from everybody else.”

Veterans Eric Steffens and Robert Wentworth found the same problem encountered by many others.

Northwestern Michigan College’s Military and Veteran Services and Northwest Michigan Works are trying to shed some light. 

Rob Dickinson, Northwest Michigan Works Business Liaison says, “We do that by providing job fairs specifically for veterans we have staff here that work with disabled veterans we have staff here that work with veterans that come off the street.”

To hear the unemployment rate has dropped means a minor victory.

Dickinson says, “Now we’re getting better educated in communities as to what somebody coming out of the military has to offer so we’ve seen that trend where 3 years ago unemployed rates for veterans were actually higher than the regular unemployment rate for everybody across the nation. We’ve seen that kind of flip it on its head now, now that number is the opposite.”

With the numbers trending in the right direction, now it’s a question of giving every veteran the same chance.

Eric Steffens now works at NMC’s Military and Veterans Services and says, “Whether you’re serving with me or in a different unit to be able to help them and be able to help them to get where I got to or where I’m getting to still because the journey’s not over it’s a remarkable feeling.”

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