More veterans and employers are confident about their job search and recruitment efforts, according to the 2016 Veteran Talent Index released today by Monster Worldwide Inc. and Military.com. Over the past five years, the Veteran Career Confidence Index, the Veteran Job Search Activity Index and the Employer Veteran Hiring Index have remained steady or improved.

“Despite continued challenges, we are seeing improved hiring conditions for veterans,” said Steve Cooker, executive VP for global government solutions for Monster Worldwide. “Both veterans and employers feel that men and women are leaving the military well-prepared to hold civilian jobs. Veterans are indicating a strong sense of self and a more positive outlook about the possibility of finding a job.”

Monster and Military.com established the Veteran Talent Index in the fall of 2011 to provide an ongoing and quantifiable metric of employment conditions for the transitioning service member. The VTI is a snapshot of the employment landscape from the perspectives of transitioning military service members, veterans, and the employers seeking to hire them.

Key takeaways this year include:

• Veterans continue to be confident about their ability to find a job and believe the skills they obtained in the military are relevant to civilian careers: The 2016 Veterans Career Confidence remained steady at a level of 57 (out of 100) indicating post-9/11 veterans continue to be confident in their ability to find a job. While down from 58 last year, the overall confidence index has remained solidly between 52 and 58 over the past five years.
• More veterans are looking for jobs: The Veteran Job Search Activity Index is 78, up four points from 74 in last year’s index but lower than the high of 80 in October 2012. The average score since the survey launched in the fall of 2011 has been 76.
• The level of hiring and motivation to hire veterans among employers remains strong: The Employer Hiring Index, which measures employers’ level of hiring and motivation to hire veterans as well as an assessment of their work, remains strong at 68. The average score over the past five years is 71.

This year’s report also focused on mobile technology, and found it is playing a bigger role than ever in how veterans look for work and how employers are recruiting potential candidates. The survey found 54% of veterans said they have used the Facebook app on their mobile devices to search for jobs in the last year, and 52% said they rely on their network of family and friends as the most useful way to look for work. Forty-two percent said they used Military.com and 37% cited Monster as a preferred resource. LinkedIn also was listed as a top choice among 37% of the respondents.

Among employers, 64% of respondents said they advertise jobs through Facebook, compared to 44% on LinkedIn, 40% on Twitter, 38% on Monster and 21% on Recruit Military.

Another significant finding this year is that a large number of veterans were willing to relocate for a job. A solid 83% of responding veterans are willing to move for a job if the right opportunity is presented.