Washington, DC - In the more than five years since President Obama established the Veterans Employment Initiative, there have been steady increases each year in the percentage of veterans hired into the Federal civilian service. In FY 2014, the percentage of veteran new hires hit a new high of 33.2 percent, surpassing the previous mark set in FY 2013, when 31 percent of all new Federal civilian hires were veterans.  

The progress in FY 2014 also marked the first time since the President established the Veterans Employment Initiative that the Executive Branch increased new veteran hires in a year when overall new employee hires also increased.  

“I am confident that together this Council is doing what is needed to achieve the President’s objectives and establish the foundation for ongoing and sustainable progress for our veterans for years to come,’’ said OPM Director Katherine Archuleta, who is Vice-Chair of the Council.   

The President’s Council on Veterans Employment is made up of 24 Cabinet level and other independent agencies. It is Co-Chaired by Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez and Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert McDonald, and Vice-Chaired by U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Director Archuleta.   

At today’s meeting, the Council discussed the FY 2014 veterans employment numbers and recommendations from the Council’s Women Veterans Working Group. Archuleta had asked Department of Homeland Security Chief Human Capital Officer Catherine Emerson to lead a working group to assess the hiring of women veterans.   

The Council approved the group’s recommendation to adopt an addendum to the government-wide Veterans Recruitment and Employment Strategic Plan FY 2014 - 2017. The addendum would add measures related to women veterans and diversity to the plan’s existing goal areas of Leadership Commitment, Employment, Marketing, and Information Gateway.   

“We know that veterans possess character, team-building skills, and discipline. Those traits don’t stop when we take off the uniform. They transfer into the workplace and help their businesses grow and succeed,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs McDonald.  “For us in VA, where more than a third of our employees are veterans, that means providing better outcomes and better service to their fellow veterans.”  

Secretary of Labor Perez said, “My colleagues at the Labor Department who are veterans embody the very finest qualities of our military tradition, and they demonstrate their character every day while standing up for American workers and their families. Breaking down silos across the government and coming together to explore innovative strategies to boost veterans’ ranks within our agencies not only helps us honor the men and women who protect our nation with good jobs, but leads to more dependable, professional, and conscientious government services for the American people.”  

The goal of the President’s Veterans Employment Initiative is to help Federal agencies identify qualified veterans, clarify the hiring process for veterans seeking employment with the Federal Government, and help them adjust to the civilian work environment once they are hired.

For additional information please visit www.FedsHireVets.gov.