National Hire a Veteran Day

Each year nearly 200,000 servicemen and women leave the United States military and transition back into civilian life. Of those transitioning, 55% of veterans cite employment as one of their most significant hurdles during their transition, according to a study conducted by the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM).

Knowing the struggle all too well, Marine Corps veteran and founder of the Hire Our Heroes (HOH) non-profit organization, Dan Caporale established National Hire a Veteran Day in 2017. Caporale’s mission for the HOH and National Hire a Veteran Day is to connect servicemen and women, military families, and veterans with hiring businesses to strengthen the United States’ workforce and economy and to help raise awareness about civilian employment for service members and veterans.

Since its establishment, National Hire a Veteran Day takes place on July 25th each year. To help promote the day and encourage businesses, federal, local, and state governments to hire veterans, federal agencies like the United States Department of Labor and the United States Department of Veterans Affairs join the effort each year. While there is not a tracking system in place to see how many veterans have been hired since the day was established, as of 2024, nearly 713,000 veterans were employed in the federal sector, not counting the 1.3 million active-duty service members. Thanks to the federal government’s advocacy, 24% of the entire federal workforce is made up by veterans.

In the House Republican Caucus, State Rep. Brandun Schweizer, a Marine Corps veteran, made the transition to civilian life in 2023 after 21 years of service.

“Veterans bring a plethora of skill, a wealth of knowledge, and the utmost dedication to the workforce,” began Rep. Schweizer. “Adjusting to civilian life after any amount of time in the military is challenging. Veterans must establish new routines, set new goals, and learn to operate on different schedules. Finding employment outside of service is a great way for veterans to begin to adjust to their new normal and a way that helped me after spending 21 years in the United States Marine Corps. By dedicating a day to helping to hire veterans, we are working to bridge the gap in their new transition, a step that is often forgotten once servicemen and women transition back to civilian life.”

As of 2024, the national average unemployment rate for all veterans was 3%. While that figure is low compared to the rate of unemployed nonveterans, there is still work to be done. Veterans have many skillsets that are applicable and valuable to the workforce outside of the military and even the public sector. This National Hire a Veteran Day, to help support veteran employment, businesses can: 
  • Partner with a veteran organization to target veteran hires.
  • Offer mentorship programs for veterans transitioning from military service to nonmilitary jobs.
  • Offer career development opportunities for veteran employees willing to learn.
  • Be cognizant of the time and adjustments that may need to be made as veteran employees continue with their transition from military life back to civilian life.
  • Use the resources available to make the hiring and onboarding processes easy. Organizations like Hire Our Heroes and federal agencies like the Department of Labor are willing to help.
For veterans seeking employment, the following resources are managed by the federal government:

For other tips, on how to help veterans visit:
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