Almost a third of U.S. veterans in civilian jobs with war injuries hide them from employers and many former soldiers downplay their military service to get along with co-workers, according to a new study by the Center for Talent Innovation.
Minority veterans are more uneasy at work than whites, the survey said. More than 40 percent of Hispanic veterans said they try to mask their experience to avoid being judged as gun-loving or aggressive. About 57 percent of working veterans don't aspire to move up in their jobs; 39 percent of those who do feel stalled.
U.S. companies from Capital One Financial Corp. to Wal-Mart Stores Inc. have hired millions of men and women returning from wars in the Middle East and Afghanistan in the last decade. The Obama administration has added hiring tax incentives of up to $9,600 per person. The veteran unemployment rate — at 3.9 percent in October — is at the lowest since 2008 and well below the national average of 5 percent.
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