Job fair aims to ease tough fight in finding work for veterans
PORTLAND, Ore. - Veterans Day has come and gone and while the rest of the country was back at work Tuesday, many of the very veterans who were honored during the holiday were hard at work trying to find a job, struggling to find their place in a civilian workforce.
But hundreds of local veterans got a chance to break into dozens of local businesses Tuesday at Memorial Coliseum.
About 120 businesses and more than 400 veterans registered for the Hiring Our Heroes Career Fair. Additionally, there were also about 300 walk-ins.
It was the biggest career fair for veterans in Oregon so far, and it’s needed, especially for the country's newest veterans. Almost 1 out of every 3 veterans 24 years old and younger is unemployed.
Jed Walters, a former Black Hawk crew chief, is one of those veterans looking for a job, but his five years of honors and Army service hasn't added up to one. He's been looking for eight months.
The younger generation of veterans has an unemployment rate higher than the national average and struggle to make their military skills make sense to employers.
"Things can get lost in translation," said Xavier Smith, who was also one of the more than 700 veterans who was at the fair and has also been looking for a job for months.
"It's difficult to get a job when you don't have one, because I don't have a place to live," said Walters.
For these veterans, staying positive is not always easy, but Hiring Heroes has helped more than 10,000 veterans find a job in just the past year and a half.
It's enough to keep veterans like Smith and Walters shaking hands and making the rounds to potential employers at the fair, hoping they're next.
"I'm just kind of hoping to break it with this," Walters said. "Hoping to find somebody who will give me a chance."
The fair also helps spouses of veterans, too. One woman at the fair was looking for work because her husband is 100 percent disabled at home. She's been out of working caring for him and struggling to find work to support their family.
Randy, you are missing the point. The vets coming back are not on the average over 35 years old. They have much more expierience demonstrating self-reliance, self-control, honesty, determination and responsibility. They usually have a higher education level than most entering the job market. They are not afraid to take on small problems or get bogged down by minor risks. Many of these folk were responsible for very expensive and sometimes million dollar pieces of equipment. Historically they have been extremely dependable and valued employees.Â
Reality is, you can have all the veteran job fairs you want, but employers are reluctant to hire you if your over 35 due to the increased medical and other benefit cost. Â Especially if there is the potential of PTSD. Â But the fairs look good politically.
@RandyH You may have something there but it's one heck of a way to reward a person for serving his country. When I got out of the Navy in the early 80's there was a tax credit to employers that hired veterans. I don't remember the amount but I remember the employers we're always interested in it when I would mention it during an interview.
Work Opportunity Tax Credit is available to encourage vets to become employed and employers to hire them. The tax credit goes to the employer and can be nearly $10k the first year.
 @Billy Batts  @RandyH As the conservatives on this board will surely remind you, we're too broke for such programs today.
@Festivus @RandyH Yeah, we need to tax the rich more and spend lots more money
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I find it kind of funny that the USDA brags about it's food stamp program and all the people it feeds whilst the Department of Interior's National Parks have signs all over their parks that read " Please don't feed the animals, they will become dependent on humans and will not learn to fend for themselves".....