Military veterans are an important constituency of workforce development programs in the United States, and are disproportionally represented among workforce development participants. Veterans also are at higher than average risk of unemployment and homelessness (Perl, 2013).

Workforce development programs such as the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), Wagner-Peyser, and Trade Adjustment Assistance seek to provide people with skills and knowledge to enable them to obtain and maintain employment (O'Leary et al., 2004). Services to veterans are offered both within these overarching programs and through special grants and service priority programs.   

In Washington state, approximately 30 percent of people receiving WIA services are military veterans, according to state administrative data. Building on previous research that tracks the workforce system as a whole (Hollenbeck & Huang, 2006; Chrisinger, in press), this paper examines the specific experiences of veterans in the workforce development system in Washington state during the years 2002-2008.

Using wage and employment data from the Unemployment Insurance system and program participation and demographic data from the state caseload management system, the paper addresses these research questions: 1) Which workforce services did veterans use most frequently? 2) Within key programs, did veterans obtain and retain employment at the same rates as other participants? 3) In which industries were veterans most often employed, and were those the same industries in which they had received job training? 4) Were earnings levels of veterans similar to other participants?    

To address these questions, the research uses tabulations, multivariate regression, and propensity score matching. Given differences in labor market outcomes for men and women, results will be computed separately by gender as well as geographic location.

Few previous papers have focused exclusively on veterans in the workforce development system and their associated labor market experiences, despite the prioritization of veterans within the system. The present research adds to our knowledge of the experiences of veterans and aims to shed light on strengths and opportunities within the realm of workforce development service provision for veterans.   

References

Chrisinger, C. (forthcoming) “Earnings Progression and the Workforce Investment Act: Evidence from Washington State.” Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society.

Hollenbeck, K. & Huang, W. (2006). “Net Impact and Benefit Cost Estimates of the Workforce Development System in Washington State.” Upjohn Institute Technical Report TR06-020, W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, Kalamazoo, Mich.

O'Leary, C. J., Straits, R. A., & Wandner, S. A. (Eds.). (2004). Job Training Policy in the United States. Kalamazoo, Mich.: W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research.

Perl, L. (2013). “Veterans and Homelessness.” Congressional Research Service. http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL34024.pdf