FACT CHECK: ‘Veterans Unemployment Has Reached An 18 Year Low’
President Donald Trump claimed on Twitter that veteran unemployment has hit an 18-year low.
Just announced that Veterans unemployment has reached an 18 year low, really good news for our Vets and their families. Will soon be an all time low! Do you think the media will report on this and all of the other great economic news?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 15, 2019
“Just announced that Veterans unemployment has reached an 18 year low, really good news for our Vets and their families,” he tweeted Tuesday.
Verdict: True
The annual unemployment rate for veterans reached 3.5 percent in 2018, the lowest rate since 2000.
Fact Check:
Trump often touts low unemployment rates – for Hispanics, blacks, women – but he hasn’t mentioned veterans as frequently. The national unemployment rate stood at 3.9 percent in December, but how did veterans fare?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports unemployment data for veterans monthly, but the numbers aren’t seasonally adjusted like most employment data. The agency advised The Daily Caller to analyze the annual rate over time.
On an annual basis, the unemployment rate for veterans fell to 3.5 percent in 2018, down from a post-recession peak of 8.7 percent in 2010. The only year with a lower unemployment rate was 2000 – the first year BLS started tracking veteran unemployment data.
The agency reported in March that nearly 40 percent of employed veterans held jobs in management, professional and related occupations, 17 percent in sales and office occupations and 16 percent in production, transportation and material moving occupations. Service occupations accounted for another 14 percent of veteran jobs.
Many large companies like Amazon and Walmart have programs that actively recruit veterans.
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