Research Brief: Unemployment, Earnings, and Enrollment among Post 9/11 Veterans

This study found that Afghanistan/Iraq era veterans have a higher likelihood of unemployment than non-veterans, with female veterans faring worse than their male counterparts. In practice, female veterans of the post-9/11 era suffer from higher absolute levels of unemployment than male veterans, as well as also experiencing a higher unemployment penalty from their service relative to their civilian counterparts than male veterans do. In policy, policymakers may wish to determine ways to increase utilization of GI Bill benefits among disadvantaged populations to increase their long-term employment and earnings. Suggestions for future study include considering the surge of female veterans, and also understanding the impact of this military employment discrimination against women