Vet Employment Varies By Agency

While the government employs significantly higher percentages of veterans than the private sector—about a quarter of federal employees are veterans versus about a tenth in the overall workforce, the employment of veterans varies significantly by agency, according to a Merit Systems Protection Board analysis. DoD employed more than 50 percent of the veterans in the federal workforce, and accounted for the hiring of 55 percent of all disabled veterans and 56 percent of all 30 percent or more disabled veterans in the most recent year for which figures have been reported, 2004. Other executive departments that hired a high percentage of veterans included the Departments of Transportation, Veterans Affairs, Homeland Security, and Energy. The Departments of the Treasury, Agriculture, Education, and Health and Human Services hired the lowest percentage of veterans.