The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and insurance company MetLife have found from a recent study that not enough small businesses are hiring veterans, writes Gene Marks for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

A survey of more than 1,000 small businesses in the last quarter found that 59 percent of veteran-owned businesses and 46 percent of non-veteran-owned businesses have hired veterans.

“Veterans are proven learners with a passion for teamwork and a commitment to results,” said Joe Shamess, the co-founder and owner of Flags of Valor in Ashburn, Va.

If hiring a veteran comes with considerable benefits, why aren’t small businesses hiring more? The responsibility seems to fall on both parties.

Some owners hesitate to hire a worker who doesn’t come from a traditional workplace background. Some may even have mistaken notions of ailments particular to veterans, like post-traumatic stress disorder. Other business owners point to a lack of resources that holds them back from making extra efforts to find veterans. That results in them just posting a job and hoping somebody applies.

On the other hand, Alex Archawski, founder of Greater Philadelphia Veteran’s Network, thinks many of those leaving the military are unaware of the opportunities for them in the private sector.

“The majority of the transitioning veterans I work with are not aware of the small-business community at all,” he said. “Veterans typically apply to larger firms where the logos are more familiar to them.”

Click here to read more about why small businesses have not hired more veterans in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

[uam_ad id=”80503″]

.

[uam_ad id=”80502″]