Military Times EDGE

The economic downturn is hitting Iraq and Afghanistan veterans harder than other workers — one in nine are now out of work — and may be encouraging some troops to remain in the service, according to Labor Department records and military officials.

The 11.2 percent jobless rate for veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and who are 18 and older rose 4 percentage points in the past year. That’s significantly higher than the corresponding 8.8 percent rate for nonveterans in the same age group, Labor Department economist Jim Walker said.

Unemployment among the youngest of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, those ages 20 to 24, reached 15 percent in February, records show. That compares with 13.8 percent for the same age group of nonveterans.