National Hire A Veteran Day Aims to Highlight Critical Role of Veterans in the Federal Workforce with Strategic Initiatives to Developed to Provide Essential Veteran Employment Resources
In observance of National Hire a Veteran Day, the Federal Employee Education and Assistance Fund (FEEA) would like to pause and express our gratitude for the immense sacrifices veterans have made for our continued freedoms and liberties. Today, we see the bravery, valor, and dedication of our veterans transcend their military service and into their role as civilians.
Executive Order 13518 signed in 2009 by President Barack Obama established the “Veterans Employment Initiative” to boost employment of military veterans in the federal government. This Executive Order underscored the importance of hiring veterans within the federal government for their skillset and duty to country.
According to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) most recent publicly available data from 2017, the Executive branch of the Federal Government is the nation’s leading employer of veterans, with veterans constituting approximately one-third (31.1 percent) of the total U.S. Federal workforce. This demonstrates a five-percentage point rise since the inception of the initiative in 2009.
DID YOU KNOW: If you’re a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces and were separated under honorable conditions, you may be eligible for veterans’ preference, as well as other veteran specific hiring options.
The Federal sector continues to set a powerful example. In comparison to the private sector, the Federal Government employs three times the percentage of veterans, seven times the percentage of disabled veterans, and ten times the percentage of severely injured veterans. This compelling statistic is a testament to the immense value of the skills, experience, and unwavering dedication to public service our veterans bring to the table.
As we commemorate National Hire a Veteran Day, we implore everyone, across all sectors, to appreciate the unique qualities, honor, and resilience that our veterans bring to the workforce. We must continually provide opportunities for these heroes in their career pursuits, as a small token of our gratitude for their sacrifices.
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