Unemployment rates for veterans dropped to the lowest point so far this year in April, with particular improvement for female veterans, new Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows.

• For all veterans, the April rate was 6.2%, down from 7.1% in March and slightly lower than non-veterans (6.9%).
• For veterans who have served since 9/11 (know as the “Gulf War II” era), the monthly decline to 7.5% was significant; it was 9.2% in March, the same as April 2012.
• The rate for post-9/11 women fell nearly 5 points to 7.2%, the lowest since April 2011.

See chart and table below. | View and download our compilation of veterans unemployment statistics.

Meantime, the Los Angeles Times reported over the weekend that “thousands of National Guard and Reserve troops coming home from Afghanistan and elsewhere find they have been replaced, demoted, denied benefits or seniority.”

The Times found that the government itself is a leading contributor to the problem.

“Government agencies are among the most frequent offenders, accounting for about a third of the more than 15,000 complaints filed with federal authorities since the end of September 2001, records show. Others named in the cases include some of the biggest names in American business, such as Wal-Mart and United Parcel Service.”

&rarr Full Los Angeles Times story