Quinn Calls On Employers To Hire 100,000 Veterans By 2020
By aaroncynic in News on Jul 13, 2012 5:00PM
Yesterday, Gov. Pat Quinn called for employers in Illinois to hire 100,000 veterans by 2020. On Monday, the governor signed a bill which doubles the Illinois income tax credit from 10 percent to 20 percent of annual wages. According to Quinn’s office, the Hiring Veterans Tax Credit would provide a credit of up to $5,000 for each unemployed veteran who served in Iraq or Afghanistan, which Quinn hopes will provide additional incentive to hire returning veterans.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the jobless rate for Gulf War-era II veterans (those on active duty since 2001) was 12 percent in 2011. That number remained fairly steady through this year until this month, when it dropped to 9.5 percent, according to the Army Times. Still, unemployment for returning veterans remains higher than the national unemployment rate, which is 8.2 percent.
More than 60 companies, government agencies and veteran’s groups joined the governor at a hiring event hosted by UIC called the 100,000 Jobs Mission. The 100,000 Jobs Mission uses a “pre-register, pre-match model results in pre-scheduled interviews and, in some cases, on-the-spot job offers that range from entry-level to managerial position.” The initiative says it has assisted more than 18,000 veterans hired as of June 30th.
“Our returning Veterans have sacrificed, served and completed their mission and they deserve every opportunity to find a good job,” Quinn said yesterday at the event. “This job fair today is an opportunity for so many service members who are ready and waiting to put their skills to work.”