1999 Employment Situation of Veterans — 2000-06-07

Male veterans of the Vietnam era who served in Southeast Asia had an unemployment rate of 3.0 percent in September 1999, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Their jobless rate was similar to the rates for veterans of that era who served outside the Vietnam war theater and for nonveterans of a similar age. The Vietnam era is defined as the period from February 1961 to May 1975. Of the 8.1 million male veterans of the Vietnam era in September 1999, 4.1 million actually served in Southeast Asia. About 12 percent of Vietnam-era veterans had a service-connected disability, and one-half had participated in special education and training programs following their discharge from the service. The survey of veterans was conducted for the Bureau of Labor Statistics by the U.S. Census Bureau as a special supplement to the September 1999 Current Population Survey (CPS). It was co-sponsored by the U.S.