Those who are returning service men and women from our military forces face many challenges upon coming home from war or discharging from their service to our country.
One of those challenges can be finding a job, and having job fairs to connect those veterans and those with disabilities, like the one held earlier this week at Ohio University Southern in Ironton, hosted by Ohio Means Jobs, the university and Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities.
Events like these are wonderful to allow veterans and those with disabilities the opportunity to connect with employers from around the region.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were approximately 21.2 million veterans in 2015. That is about 9 percent of the civilian population in the United States. Of those veterans, around 4.6 percent, meaning that nearly half a million veterans are jobless.
At the event, over 100 applicants took part in the event with around two-dozen employers participating. This was a wonderful event, to be that conduit between job seekers and employers, and we applaud all those who worked to put the job fair on along with all those who participated.
In some instances, our veterans and those with disabilities may not know exactly where to go to seek help in finding employment. We are fortunate to have many great resources like those organizations who seek to help find employment for others and developing events like these job fairs.