Survey Reveals Trends and Challenges for Hiring Veterans in Austin, Texas

In 2013 the Workforce Readiness Sub-Committee, Transition2Position (T2P), conducted a survey of the Austin Human Resource Management Association (AHRMA) membership to identify veteran hiring trends in Austin, Texas for the 2012 calendar year and a representative sample of AHRMA organizations responded. 

“We were pleased to see that 84% of the employers we surveyed have hired veterans in the last few years.  So we know that their views are reflective of

what’s happening with veteran hiring in the Austin workforce,” said T2P committee leader, Ramona Oliver.

Oliver added that one of the most insightful findings is that most Austin-area employers may not be that concerned about Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder when hiring veterans.  “You hear so much about PTSD in the media.  We wondered what respondents would say.  Our strategic partners who provide veteran transitioning services were extremely interested to know that only 27% of employers have concerns about PTSD.”

Another key finding of the survey shows that translating military skills to civilian job experience and transitioning from military structure are the biggest obstacles to the civilian employment of veterans in the Austin area.

The T2P committee has created an onsite repository for documents/material/websites that provides information on best practices for hiring veterans.  There on the AHRMA website, you will find the results of the AHRMA Veteran Hiring Trends Survey, as well as information about the Department of Labor Veteran Work Opportunity Tax Credits and a helpful veteran hiring toolkit.  From time to time, the committee will add other materials that may be helpful to you in hiring veterans in your workplace.

You can find these resources by clicking HERE.  

Note:  Look for the list of links called “Veterans in the Workplace Resources” under the heading “Workforce Readiness Subcommittees” and “Transition 2 Position.”

To go directly to the AHRMA Veterans in the Workplace Survey, click HERE.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Ramona Oliver at t2p@austinhumanresource.org.

Hiring Veterans - Resources are out there!

By now, it's likely that you've become aware of a growing predicament: many of our servicemen and servicewomen are returning home from serving abroad, only to be met with the growing difficulty of finding employment in the civillian world. You are interested in hiring these veterans, but how do you find them? How do you decode the common differences in verbage used in the military world versus the key words for which you're accustomed to searching for a resume? It all seems impossible, right?

Well, I have good news for you. There is a wealth of available assistance, for free (yes, free), right here in Austin. At just a phone call or click away, you can quickly find answers to your veteran-related questions. You can find help in actively seeking out a veteran to fill that key job opening.

Here is an example of sites and companies here in Austin, who are here to help you in your quest to actively seek out and employ veterans. Please leave comments to this post if you have more to add, or if you wish to share your own contacts and/or success stories:

1. ESGR

http://www.esgr.mil/site/Home.aspx

Resources on their site include: resources for employers; USERRA information; fact sheets; toolkits

2. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

http://www.va.gov/

Resources on their site include: Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment Service (http://www.vba.va.gov/bln/vre/); VetSuccess program (http://vetsuccess.gov/)

3. Texas Veterans Leadership Program

http://www.twc.state.tx.us/tvlp/tvlp.html

Read their Mission Statement for a great description of their services, to include finding employment for veterans, helping companies find veterans to hire, and serving as a resource for medical care and training. A map of Texas helps you find a local point of contact.