The VA Medical Center in Syracuse put on a job fair on Thursday to help connect veterans to employment opportunities.
Workers at the VA estimate there are as many as 3,000 unemployed veterans in Onondaga County alone. Although the job market is tough for many people, veterans can sometimes face unique challenges.
"The younger veterans, a lot of it can be adjustment issues," says Kathy Procopio, one of the organizers of the job fair. "Some of our older and middle aged veterans, because of maybe health issues, are no longer able to do the job they were originally trained for."
Many veterans say it's tough to find opportunities.
"It's tight, and the economy is not the best, so it's taking a lot of time to get things rolling," says Duane Perry, who was at the job fair.
There were 35 companies at Thursday's job fair. Organizers say veterans often offer specialized skills that may make them valuable in the job market.
"These are the things we need in organizations nowadays: to be able to stay on focus on a mission, to be able to provide a service to provide a product," says James Cody, the Director of the VA Medical Center.
