Veterans – MRDRC

Are lifetime earnings a product of the times? Veterans who entered the civilian market in periods of high unemployment have lower earnings for over a decade, have lower levels of prospective Social Security wealth, and appear to delay retirement (perhaps to compensate for the negative effects experienced early in their careers), and have higher levels of family instability. These results suggest that young workers who entered the labor market during the Great Recession are likely to experience negative effects throughout the first phases of their career; indeed, some of the effects could influence today’s workers through retirement.

Tough timing: Study looks at veterans to pin down the long-term effects of entering the labor market during a recession

May 16, 2018
Susan Barnes
Health and Retirement Study, retirement savings, Uncategorized, Veterans

Previous research has found that young people entering the job market during a weak economy face lingering negative effects, earning less than workers who joined the labor market during, for example, a period of low unemployment. Such effects can last…