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Armed forces scale back, PA young people often disappointed
From PublicSource | 03:20
In robust economic times, America’s armed services have had to hustle to recruit qualified soldiers. But when civilian unemployment is high and the military is paring its ranks, recruiters can be much more selective. Halle Stockton of PublicSource reports.
As the U.S. military brings troops home from Afghanistan and reduces the number of recruits for budgetary reasons, services that once were thought to be the employer of last resort are now being much more selective.
Fewer military jobs in addition to the already dim economic climate for 16- to 24-year olds — for whom the unemployment rate is more than double the rate in the general population — is especially troubling in Pennsylvania. The state has long been a top recruiting ground for the armed forces, and many now see that route to employment cut off.