FROM: U.S. LABOR DEPARTMENT
U.S. Labor Secretary Perez urges companies to hire military veterans during department's annual Salute to Veterans
WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez today urged employers to recruit and hire transitioning service members and veterans because they possess "essential skills that companies are looking for: leadership, problem-solving and teamwork." Perez made his remarks at the department's annual Salute to Veterans, which was held to honor the sacrifices of our nation's veterans and in observance of Veterans Day.
Perez said the same fortitude and resilience service members and veterans have exhibited in the military can be brought successfully to bear in civilian work; and businesses recruit and hire veterans "because they know it's as sound a business decision as they can make." Veterans receive priority of service — including career counseling and job placement — at nearly 2,600 American Job Centers nationwide. More information on American Job Centers is available at http://jobcenter.usa.gov. To find American Job Center locations, go to http://www.servicelocator.org.
Several of the department's efforts to assist service members and veterans transition to civilian careers that Perez discussed include:
My Next Move for Veterans, an online tool where veterans can enter their military occupation code and discover civilian occupations for which they are well-qualified, at http://www.mynextmove.org/vets/.
An overhaul of the Transition Assistance Program, which helps exiting service members prepare for civilian life. More information about this program is available at http://www.militaryonesource.mil/transition.
A collaborative program called the Women Veterans Initiative, which is designed to address the issue of women veterans unemployment.
Examples of the work of this initiative include the Symposium on Women Veterans' Employment: Skills Matter held at the department on Aug. 29, 2013, and the Trauma-Informed Care for Women Veterans Experiencing Homelessness guide.
More information on this initiative can be found at http://www.dol.gov/vets/womenveterans/.
