Monster and Military.com Survey Reveals Improved Veteran Hiring Landscape

MCLEAN, Va., Nov. 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Monster Worldwide, Inc. and Military.com today released their 2016 Veteran Talent Index showcasing five years of data about veteran recruitment, hiring and retention. The report also has new information regarding the role mobile technology plays in the job search process, the mobility of veteran job seekers and the importance of the non-profit sector in advancing veteran hiring.

"Despite continued challenges, we are seeing improved hiring conditions for veterans. Both veterans and employers feel that men and women are leaving the military well-prepared to hold civilian jobs," said Steve Cooker, executive vice president for global government solutions for Monster Worldwide. "Veterans are indicating a strong sense of self and a more positive outlook about the possibility of finding a job."

Cooker continued, "Over the past five years, the Veteran Career Confidence Index, the Veteran Job Search Activity Index and the Employer Veteran Hiring Index have remained steady or improved, indicating that more veterans and employers are confident about their job search and recruitment efforts. Additionally, it demonstrates that employers and veterans have worked to address challenges that once stood in the way of connecting veterans to jobs, and that work must continue to ensure progress."

Following are the key takeaways:

• Veterans continue to be confident about their ability to find a job and believe the skills they obtained in the military are relevant to civilian careers: The 2016 Veterans Career Confidence remained steady at 57 (out of 100) indicating Post 9-11 veterans continue to be confident in their ability to find a job. While down from 58 last year, the overall confidence index has remained solidly between 52 and 58 over the past five years.
• More veterans are looking for jobs: The Veteran Job Search Activity Index is 78, up four points from 74 in last year's Index but lower than the high of 80 in October 2012. The average score since the survey launched in the fall of 2011 has been 76.
• The level of hiring and motivation to hire veterans among employers remains strong: The Employer Hiring Index, which measures employers' level of hiring and motivation to hire veterans as well as an assessment of their work, remains strong at 68. The average score over the past five years is 71.

Mobile technology is playing a bigger role than ever in how veterans look for work and how employers are recruiting potential candidates.

• Fifty-four percent of veterans said they have used the Facebook app on their mobile devices to search for jobs in the last year, and 52 percent said they rely on their network of family and friends as the most useful way to look for work; so veterans are using social media to network but also to access information presented by employers on social media and through apps.
• Forty-two percent said they used Military.com and 37 percent cited Monster as a preferred resource. LinkedIn also was listed as a top choice among 37 percent of the respondents.
• Sixty-four percent of employer respondents said they advertise jobs through Facebook, compared to 44 percent on LinkedIn, 40 percent on Twitter, 38 percent on Monster and 21 percent on Recruit Military.

Another significant finding this year is that a large amount of veterans were willing to relocate for a job. A solid 83 percent of measured veterans are willing to move for a job if the right opportunity is presented. Most are willing to relocate within their state (47 percent), but 33 percent would consider relocating anywhere in the United States, and 38 percent were willing to relocate within their region of the country.

When considering relocating for a job, veterans were clear about what was most important to them. Cost of living was the leading factor, with 68 percent saying it was very important to them; location and company size were both listed as very important by 59 percent of veteran respondents, and 51 percent said their spouses' ability to find work was very important to their decision-making process.

Company size also appears to be very important to veterans. Over half (57 percent) of those surveyed indicated they would prefer to work for a company with less than 500 employees. Thirty-two percent said they would prefer a company with 101-500 employees and 25 percent said they would prefer to work for a company with less than 100 employees.

Public/Private Partnerships

This year, the VTI survey included questions for job seekers and employers around their use or partnerships with nonprofits and Veteran Service Organizations. Many have implemented new employment initiatives in the past few years and in the case of employers, these organizations can act as a gateway to the veteran talent pool.

Veterans indicated they turned to non-profit organizations, government agencies and Veteran Service Organizations to help them find work or for resources around their job search. 26 percent used the Department of Veterans Affairs for employment resources, 21 percent turned to the Department of Labor and 21 percent used the American Legion.

Employers also used resources from the Department of Labor (29 percent) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (25 percent), while 22 percent worked with Hiring Our Heroes, 18 percent worked with Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and 16 percent worked with the USO.

The majority of employers (65 percent) said they advertised open jobs with these organizations, with 54 percent saying they attended events and 35 percent indicating they used or re-purposed employment content from these organizations. Just over a quarter of the employers (29 percent) indicated they had entered into an official partnership with these organizations to facilitate veteran hiring.

Additionally, this Veterans Day, Monster, in conjunction with Military.com, has published its second-annual "Best Companies for Veterans" list. The list honors companies that have made significant efforts to employ, hire, retain and train veterans over the course of the last year. For the second year, a panel of seven Monster, Military.com and external veteran hiring experts submitted companies for consideration. Those companies are then asked to supply proprietary data on their veteran hiring processes before Monster determines a top 10. Click here to see the 2015 list, and the 2016 list, officially released today, can be viewed here.

About Veteran Talent Index

Monster and Military.com established the Veteran Talent Index (VTI) in the fall of 2011 to provide an ongoing and quantifiable metric of employment conditions for the transitioning service member. The VTI is a snapshot of the employment landscape from the perspectives of transitioning military service members, veterans, and the employers seeking to hire them.

Read or download the full report, which includes additional statistics, resources for both job seekers and employers and do's and don'ts for both groups, by visiting Monster here.

About Monster Worldwide

Monster Worldwide, Inc. is a global leader in successfully connecting people and job opportunities. Monster uses the world's most advanced technology to help people Find Better, matching job seekers to opportunities via digital, social, and mobile solutions including monster.com^®, our flagship website, and employers to the best talent using a vast array of products and services. As an Internet pioneer, more than 200 million people have registered on the Monster Worldwide network. Today, with operations in more than 40 countries, Monster provides the broadest, most sophisticated job seeking, career management, recruitment, and talent management capabilities globally. For more information, visit monster.com/about.

About Military.com

Military.com is the nation's largest online military destination serving over ten million members, including active duty personnel, reservists, guard members, retirees, veterans, family members, defense workers, and those considering military careers. Military.com enables the 30 million Americans with military affinity to access information about their benefits, advance their careers, enjoy military discounts, and stay connected for life. Military.com develops efficient affinity marketing and communications programs for government agencies and companies serving this market. Military.com is a business unit of Monster Worldwide, Inc. More information is available at www.military.com.

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SOURCE Monster Worldwide, Inc.

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