Veteran Jobless Rate Drops Slightly, but Concerns Rise Over Future Cuts

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), veteran unemployment went from 4.2% to 4.1% in February. This happened despite worries about veterans' long-term job security because the federal government cut back on jobs.

The unemployment rate for victims of the 9/11 attacks also went down, from 4.7% to 4.3%, but the unemployment rate for everyone in the U.S. went up a little, to 4.1%. The economy added 151,000 more jobs. President Trump pointed out that the 10,000 new manufacturing jobs were a success of his economic plans.

Even though this is a good sign, people who support soldiers are worried about what's to come. As part of its plan to reduce the size of the federal government, the Trump administration wants to eliminate 80,000 jobs at the Department of Veterans Affairs. This could significantly affect veterans, who comprise 27% of the VA staff.

Will Attig, who runs the Union Veterans Council at the AFL-CIO, said, "We're worried about what the next month looks like." The upcoming cuts are clearly making many soldiers angry and sad.

According to economists, the full effects of these layoffs might not show up until the March BLS report, since many jobs were lost later in February. Veterans' groups are in "a holding pattern," according to Kevin Rasch of the Wounded Warrior Project. They are watching to see how things go.

With government job cuts coming, veterans' finding work could be harder in the next few months, even though unemployment went down a little in February.

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