New York, – The RAND Corporation today issued a report detailing the “successful approaches” of the 100,000 Jobs Mission integrating veterans into the private sector workforce. The coalition of 178 private sector companies also announced they have hired 190,046 U.S. military veterans through September 30, 2014, and is on pace to hire a total of 200,000 veterans by the end of the year.
RAND’s report – based on qualitative interviews with 100,000 Jobs Mission members representing diverse industries, size, geographic location, and coalition tenure – examines the successes and challenges of veteran hiring initiatives and offers recommendations for the Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Labor, employers, and individual veterans.
“Veterans offer a tremendous set of skills from their military service, and that’s why more than 190,000 have been hired by 178 coalition companies,” said Maureen Casey, director of Military and Veterans Affairs for JPMorgan Chase, a founding member of the coalition. “The 100,000 Jobs Mission is committed to hiring our veterans and applying the lessons from RAND’s report to continue preparing them for successful civilian careers.”
“Our report shows that companies are hiring veterans because they make great employees-it’s good business,” said Dr. Margaret C. Harrell, one of the RAND report authors. “The 100,000 Jobs Mission is a great coalition for veteran employment, because the companies both challenge one another and support one another, even among companies that compete for business. They are holding one another accountable for measurable outcomes, proving that this is far more than an encouragement campaign.”
The RAND report highlights lessons and best practices from members of the 100,000 Jobs Mission to enhance all private sector veteran employment efforts. Key findings and recommendations from the report include:
Recruitment
Companies are hiring veterans from all services and ranks – officers, noncommissioned officers, and former enlisted personnel – depending on education, skills, and salary level requirements, much the same as with non-veteran hires.
Job fairs that involve virtual technology or provide employers with an opportunity to filter resumes and screen candidates in advance appear to be more useful to companies.
Collaboration on veteran employment – such as sharing strong veteran job candidates -is an example of private sector competitors working together.
Challenges most cited by the companies interviewed include reaching veterans, skill translation, educating hiring managers, and degree requirements.
Performance
Most employers surveyed report veteran performance at the same level or better than non-veteran employees, but little data is available.
Retention
Most companies surveyed saw little or no difference between veteran and non-veteran retention, while a number of companies reported higher retention rates among veterans.
While most companies do not have retention programs that are specifically geared toward veteran employees, veteran employee resource groups and mentoring programs are common practices for supporting retention of veteran employees.
Recommendations
As the coalition continues to grow and more servicemembers transition out of the military, RAND suggests instituting industry-based coalition subgroups to increase collaborative interactions and facilitate industry-focused activities;
Encourage member companies to expand veteran employment efforts beyond recruitment to include career development and retention; and
Coalition companies should work closely with the Departments of Defense, Labor and Veterans Affairs to encourage transitioning servicemembers to register early in the Veterans Employment Center, expand training and internship programs and enhance the Transition Assistance Program (TAP).
“Comcast and NBCUniversal are proud to have contributed our insights on veteran hiring and support to the RAND study,” said Will Baas, head of Veteran recruiting initiatives for Comcast and member of the U.S. Navy Reserve. “We derive tremendous value from our membership in the 100,000 Jobs Mission and the unique opportunity to work in partnership with leading companies committed to hiring veterans.”
The report concludes that the 100,000 Jobs Mission maintains “a reputation for integrity” and “has built greater awareness among its member companies of the benefits of hiring veterans and successful approaches to integrating veterans into the private sector workforce. Individual companies are more cognizant of the role that each company can play in tackling a major societal issue.”
About the 100,000 Jobs Mission
Launched in 2011, the 100,000 Jobs Mission brings together companies committed to hiring U.S. military veterans and military spouses. The 178 companies now involved have pledged to hire 200,000 veterans by 2020. They hired 190,046 veterans through the third quarter of 2014. For more information on the 100,000 Jobs Mission, visit jobsmission.com.
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