U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer, joined by local veterans groups, veterans' advocates, and Michael Dowling, President and CEO of North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System, called on Long Island business to join a new online campaign to connect unemployed veterans on the Island with local jobs. Schumer pointed out that while there are an estimated 13,500 unemployed veterans in Nassau and Suffolk counties, only nine businesses on the Island currently participate in the Employer Partnership of the Armed Services online job bank that connects our nations service members, veterans, and their family members with local employers.
"This website for veterans seeking employment is a powerful but underutilized tool that has enormous potential to attack the troubling unemployment on Long Island among men and women who have served our country," said Schumer. "Far too many New Yorkers find themselves unemployed after they bravely served in uniform. That's why today, I'm launching an aggressive campaign to encourage Long Island businesses to post their job listings on the Employer Partnership of the Armed Forces website. New York veterans have proven to be hard-working and effective leaders, and would make terrific additions to businesses in a wide range of sectors across the economy. By harnessing the power of the Internet and expanding the pool of employers, we can match the jobs needs of our veterans with the hiring needs of local businesses."
Schumer noted that a searchable regional job bank exists for veterans, created by the Employer Partnership of the Armed Forces (http://www.employerpartnership.org) that connects local veterans with local employers who are looking to hire. The job bank was launched on Veteran's Day 2010 as an effort to connect Army Reserve members with potential employers and is now open to all members of the U.S. Military and veterans. Currently, there are 1,400 Employer Partners registered with the site, including 95 of the Fortune 500 companies, but only nine local Long Island companies are listed on the site. Veterans can access the site through a state-of-the-art web portal that allows the veterans to search jobs locally. The site provides access to approximately 600,000 job listings at a given time.
In an effort to boost this number and make Long Island businesses aware of the program Schumer, as part of a statewide campaign, is sending a letter to local Long Island business associations and Chambers of Commerce, urging them to make their member businesses aware of the site and encourage them to use this valuable resource when posting job listings online.
Unfortunately, there are an estimated 6,021 unemployed veterans living in Nassau County and an estimated 7,509 living in Suffolk County. A report issued Friday shows that among recent veterans, those who have served post September 11, 2001, unemployment is at 11.5% and one in five veterans under the age of 25 are unable to find work.
The jobs available on the Partnership's website are targeted to match the specific needs and skills of the military community. They are generally tailored to attract applicants with skills developed during their military service in specific fields including medicine, transportation, logistics, law enforcement, civil affairs, engineering, human resources, information technology, communications, administration, intelligence, and security. Matching jobs requiring specific skills with applicants who have developed those skills through military service will help more veterans find good-paying, family-sustaining jobs.
"With open arms, we would welcome additional businesses from New York to the site as we work to help service members and veterans find good-paying jobs," said Lt. Col. Matthew Leonard, Strategic Community Officer for the Employer Partnership program.
"As one of the New York area's largest employers, North Shore-LIJ has been working closely with our government leaders and veterans groups to find jobs for veterans and help ease their transition back to civilian life," said Michael J. Dowling, president and CEO of the North Shore-LIJ Health System. "Our military personnel have already proven that they excel in leadership, teamwork and performance under never-ending pressure. Given the tremendous integrity and respect that members of the military demonstrate on a daily basis, every employer would benefit from bringing veterans into their organization."
Schumer's letter to local business groups can be found below.
Dear Chamber of Commerce,
I write to solicit your help in addressing the high level of unemployment among New York's population of recent veterans. It is troubling that unemployment among this group is substantially higher than the rest of the population, particularly given their unique skills and experiences. After they return from their patriotic duty, it is our duty to do all we can to help veterans integrate back into the community. In that regard, I ask you and your members to consider taking advantage of a great tool for connecting your employment openings with qualified veterans.
The Employer Partnership of the Armed Forces is a valuable resource which helps employers and veterans find job matches. The Partnership is operated with public and private support, and includes a state-of-the-art web portal which allows employers and applicants to search one another based on specific skills and other criteria. The portal is an outstanding tool for reaching thousands of qualified veterans with top notch training and experience in fields such as medicine, transportation, logistics, law enforcement, civil affairs, engineering, human resources, information technology, communications, administration, intelligence, and security. The partnership's website is www.employerpartnership.org, where employers can sign up to join over 1,400 other members who are posting job openings there today. For more information, they can also be reached at 1 (877) 450-4473.
Our veterans represent a strong group of highly trained, experienced, and dedicated citizens who have bravely served our nation. As they leave the service, they have great contributions to offer the private sector. Please help to ensure that they are afforded an opportunity to contribute. Ask your members to reach out to veterans -- through the Partnership website or otherwise, when you are looking for qualified job candidates.
Sincerely,
Charles E. Schumer
United States Senate