Labor: 1 in 5 veterans under 25 unemployed

Unemployment stalks veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, with more than one in five veterans younger than 25 unable to find work last year, the U.S. Labor Department reported Friday.

Prospective employers often express concerns that combat-related psychological problems, a lack of civilian work experience or the possibility of redeploying may leave veterans less suitable for hiring.

"Everyone in that room was unemployed," Chuck Taylor said after a meeting of a dozen members of a student veterans club at Suffolk Community College's Brentwood campus Wednesday.

Taylor, 28, a pre-law student who served in Iraq and Afghanistan before leaving the military two years ago, said although he gets GI Bill help, the need to buy diapers, baby food, clothing and other necessities for his 20-month-old daughter make it urgent for him to find work.

Long Island and New York City are home to an estimated 32,600 jobless veterans, with 6,000 in Nassau County and 7,500 in Suffolk, according to Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.)

The jobless rate for all veterans who served after September 2001 was 11.5 percent in 2010, more than a fifth higher than for the general population, according to the Labor Department data based on monthly surveys of 60,000 homes nationwide.

Staff Sgt. Meghan Meade of East Moriches, a member of the New York Air National Guard who has served in Iraq, said job interviewers typically ask when she will redeploy.

"I don't think they hold it against you that you have deployed in the past, but they definitely inquire more about your future with the company," said Meade, 27, who said she supports herself with part-time jobs. "And I think they are more hesitant to hire you."

Employment recruiters have said military skills often don't translate well in a service economy, where the need for flexibility and creativity can appear at odds with the military's image of top-down regimentation.

With AP