Monday, January 19, 2009

More Americans Joining Military As Jobs Dwindle

Ryen Trexler, 21, is learning about heavy equipment at the Jobs Corps Center in Pittsburgh, skills he will take to the Army in July. (Jeff Swensen for The New York Times )

From The International herald Tribune:

As the number of jobs across the nation dwindles, more Americans are joining the military, lured by a steady paycheck, benefits and training.

The last fiscal year was a banner one for the military, with all active-duty and reserve forces meeting or exceeding their recruitment goals for the first time since 2004, the year that violence in Iraq intensified drastically, Pentagon officials said.

And the trend seems to be accelerating. The army exceeded its targets each month for October, November and December — the first quarter of the new fiscal year — bringing in 21,443 new soldiers on active duty and in the reserves. December figures were released last week.

Read more ....

My Comment: The U.S. military were meeting their quotas when the economy was booming and the war in Iraq was very hot. From my experience .... joinging the military for a job is usually on the bottom of the list of why people sign up.

No comments: