Oct 2014 Employment Statistics

2014-11-12T07:44:45-05:00

The BLS Figures were released for Oct 2014 and they show that Unemployment nationwide is at 5.8%

Looking at the state numbers I was surprised to see Georgia was #2 with 10.9% Veteran Unemployment Rate.

But I was not surprised to see that the largest number of jobs gained were in the food industry.

What are your thoughts?

Response by CW5 Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 12 at 2014 8:08 AM

2014-11-12T08:08:01-05:00

MAJ Dallas D., I think the chart says that the overall, national unemployment rate is 5.8%, but the overall unemployment rate for veterans is 4.5%, which is better than the national average, and that's a good sign.

The people who seem to be hurting the most are post-9/11 veterans and veterans under the age of 34. And, female veterans have a higher percentage of unemployment than their male counterparts overall (5.5% to 4.3%).

Response by CW2 Joseph Evans made Nov 12 at 2014 8:16 AM

2014-11-12T08:16:17-05:00

And anyone who has ever taken an economics class knows that there is a whole other set of numbers beneath these that paints the real picture while everyone can get a warm fuzzy if the stop right here.
The numbers that really matter and will tell us the truth won't come back until after April 16th when we find out how many Veterans are still subsisting below poverty levels.

Response by MSG Wade Huffman made Nov 12 at 2014 9:07 AM

2014-11-12T09:07:59-05:00

I would be more interested in seeing the current labor participation rates. They provide a much more accurate picture.

Response by MAJ Karl Monger made Nov 12 at 2014 3:01 PM

2014-11-12T15:01:16-05:00

I capture and report monthly veteran unemployment data. It's not quite as rosy as depicted. Post 9/11 veterans (especially females) are significantly more likely to be unemployed than a non-veteran. http://gallantfew.blogspot.com/2014/11/october-veteran-unemployment-statistics.html

The New American Veteran: October Veteran Unemployment Statistics