Annual Veterans Job Fair sees drop in attendance

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- There is a fight going on to get military veterans employed. Milwaukee County has hosted a Veterans Job Fair for the last six years. But organizers say, they're now seeing a drop in attendance.

Yes, older veterans are having a harder time getting work. But overall, the statistics are improving.

At Thursday's job fair, it was about half as crowded as it was several years ago. That's because veterans are getting hired for jobs.

New to this year's job fair -- thumb drives veterans registered to pick up. Each drive has the veteran's service records -- and it can store resumes and other job hunting tools.

"Throughout the years it has gotten bigger, bigger, bigger and now we have it at the Milwaukee County war memorial where we've got room to breathe and more employers," said Gary Wetzel, Medal of Honor recipient.

The average age of a veteran attending the job fair is 42 years old. That's not a statistic unique to veterans. Older Americans in general who find themselves unemployed tend to have a greater challenge getting back into the workforce.