While many companies recognize the importance of hiring veterans into the civilian workforce, an increasing percentage of employers do not believe veterans are prepared for their career transition, according to Monster’s latest veterans index.

Just  39 percent of employers said they believe veterans or those with prior military experience are prepared for a career transition out of the military, a sharp drop from the 77 percent of employers who felt veterans were prepared last November.

Also, while 75 percent of military veterans believe their skills are relevant to civilian careers, less than half (47 percent) felt they were prepared to transition out of the military; 52 percent felt prepared last November. Further, only 29 percent of veterans were confident about finding work that suited them, down from 44 percent in November 2011.

The full index is available here.