Sunday, December 28, 2008
Got no job, got no money, got no prospects
Have you thought about the Army?
Given the current state of the U.S. economy — the unemployment rate was at 6.7 percent in November, with 533,000 jobs lost, and rising — and given other factors, such as a marked decrease in the overall wartime casualty rates, military recruiters should be enjoying a seller’s market.But it's not all beer and skittles for the military.
So far, they are. All four active services have met 100 percent of their recruiting goals during the first two months of the new fiscal year. And the Army and Marine Corps, carrying the brunt of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, are off to very hot starts. The Army brought in 101 percent and 106 percent of its October and November goals, respectively, while Marine recruiters enlisted 104 percent and 105 percent.
The six reserve components are doing just as well — all were at or above 100 percent of their goal for October and November, the Pentagon said.
Of equal or greater concern than the raw numbers, however, is the quality of recruits. And the jury’s still out in fiscal 2009’s early stages on whether the services, particularly the Army, are signing up enough of the smartest recruits and minimizing the number of enlistees for whom official waivers are required.The never ending battle of quality vs. quantity.
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]
Post a Comment