Joblessness among post-Sept. 11 vets remains high

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A new congressional report shows that the unemployment rate among military veterans who served after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks remains stubbornly high.

The Memorial Day-themed report issued today cites new federal data that shows an April unemployment rate of 10.9 percent for post-9/11 veterans.

It says unemployment was 7.7 percent for all veterans and 8.5 percent for non-veterans. The data was not seasonally adjusted.

The 2010 unemployment rate for post-9/11 veterans was 11.1 percent. The April data shows male veterans 18 to 24 face an extremely high unemployment rate of 26.9 percent.

The report is by the ranking Democrat’s staff on the Joint Economic Committee, Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey. It says post-9/11 veterans were more likely to be employed in industries hit hardest by the recession.