Vice President Joe Biden pressed Congress to vote in favor of President Barack Obama's candidate for the role of Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary and discussed the future of U.S. operations in Iraq and Afghanistan this week. However, the vice president made another more optimistic announcement for veterans recently, too. Biden unveiled a White House initiative aimed at decreasing veteran unemployment and resupplying the nation with qualified technology specialists. A new tech jobs training initiative will specialize in veteran-specific training and placement efforts, according to Military Times.
The future of the job market for veterans
At the Veterans of Foreign Wars annual convention, Biden discussed some of the details of the new high-tech training initiative, but told veterans that the fully detailed plan would be made public July 22. This job training effort comes after a month-long review by the vice president regarding how to make high-skill training options available to all U.S. citizens. According to Military Times, the study found a 1.4 million-job void in the technology jobs sector that will be filled by American businesses over the course of five years.
Reducing the amount of outsourced jobs
During the convention, Biden also discussed the training difficulties the U.S. has faced and how it has lured a wave of foreign workers to the nation.
"Ask yourself the rhetorical question: Why do we need to issue 480,000 to 500,000 [immigrant] visas — which I welcome — to come to the United States to fill high-tech jobs that range from $70,000 a year to $168,000 a year in high-tech industries?" Biden said, according to Military Times. "It's because we don't have enough qualified people here at home."
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, veterans have an unemployment rate slightly above the national average. The BLS also reports that some of the youngest veterans – veterans ages 18 to 24 – have the highest rate of unemployment, 24.3 percent, compared to civilians within the same age group, 15.8 percent.