An Empirical Examination of the Occupational Attainment of American Veterans of World War I

Abstract

ObjectivesThe occupational distributions of World War I (WWI) veterans and nonveterans are compared to determine if military service enhanced a worker's occupational mobility.MethodsQualitative‐response logistic regressions are estimated using U.S. Census data from 1930 to 1950.ResultsWWI veterans are more likely to be employed in higher skilled occupations than nonveterans, after controlling for education, age, and other demographic traits.ConclusionsSkills, knowledge, and other attributes of military service helped WWI veterans achieve a greater degree of upward occupational mobility than nonveterans.