There's a new initiative to help veterans find jobs.
Thousands of soldiers will come home within the next few years looking for work. Now, NBC stations across the country and joining forces to help make the job hunt easier.
It's called "Hiring Our Heroes," and it's a new partnership between NBC News and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to get unemployed veterans back to work.
Bob Mclean, Director of Onondaga County Veterans Services, says job fairs like “Operation Hired” and “Hiring Heroes” can help educate employers about the benefits of hiring a veteran. “We need more jobs and we need more employers to understand that hiring a veteran is a really good bet because they are already tested,” he says.
Right now there are more than one million unemployed veterans in the U.S.
Veterans on active duty since september 11th, 2001 have a 12.1 percent unemployment rate. That's higher than the national average of 8.3 percent.
It's those veterans serving after the 9/11 attacks that are more likely to be out of work.
Male veterans under the age of 25 have an unemployment rate of almost 30 percent.
Today, a website launches to help veterans get back to work. It will help vets register for job fairs and resume workshops.
You can view the website by clicking here.
More than 500 veterans attended our "Operation: Hired" job fair in January at the SRC Arena at Onondaga Community College.
