A jobs fair for veterans in Detroit this week is expected to draw thousands of job seekers and prospective employers from across the Midwest.
The event is sponsored by the U.S. Veterans Administration. The need in Michigan and surrounding states was a big reason to hold the event in Detroit.
Michigan Department of Military and Veterans Affairs deputy director Jason Allen says more than one in 10 Michigan veterans are unemployed and looking for work. Employers from across the Midwest will be interviewing for 22,000 openings.
Allen says other sessions will help small business owners who are veterans with advice and help winning government contracts. They’ll also connect veterans with benefits they’re due for their service.
"We're, unfortunately, not utilizing our G.I.Bill," Allen explains. "We're not utilizing our pensions and compensations, and we're not using our health care."
Allen says Michigan ranks last out of all the states, Washington D.C., Guam, and Puerto Rico in veterans using their government benefits.
