UK Veterans' Survey: Situation of Veterans in Post Military Service Employment

The Veterans' Survey 2022, published by theOffice for National Statistics (ONS) on 23 April 2025provides an in-depth picture of the working condition of British veterans.
According to the data collected, less than half of the veterans (46.9%) were employed or self-employed, while an almost equal number (46.1%) were retired. Most of those who worked were employed in the private sector (62%), followed by the public sector (29.7%) and, to a lesser extent, the non-profit sector (5.7%).

The survey also showed that more than one in five veterans (20.9%) had actively sought to change jobs in the four weeks prior to the interview, driven by a desire to improve salary, work-life balance or advance professionally.
Significantly, more than half of the veterans (52.5%) stated that they had, at least once, accepted employment at a lower experience or skill level than their last military assignment. The main reasons? The scarcity of job opportunities and the lack of recognition by employers of transferable skills gained during service.

In termini di attività economica, il 48,3% dei veterani era considerato economicamente attivo, un dato superiore rispetto a quello registrato nel Censimento 2021 per Inghilterra e Galles (42,4%). Tuttavia, cautela è necessaria nell’effettuare confronti diretti con la popolazione generale, data la diversa distribuzione per età e sesso.

The difficulties in the transition were further investigated through qualitative analysis: unemployed veterans and veterans of less than five years complain of shortcomings in career support services, in the management of health issues, especially mental health, and in integration into the civilised world.

Transferable Skills and Underemployment: A Persistent Challenge

Un aspetto centrale emerso dallo studio riguarda l’utilizzo delle competenze acquisite nelle Forze Armate nel mercato del lavoro civile. L’85,4% dei veterani si è detto consapevole di possedere competenze trasferibili, e l’81,4% ha dichiarato di averle effettivamente utilizzate in ambito civile. Tuttavia, la piena valorizzazione di queste capacità rimane una sfida.

Infatti, più della metà degli intervistati ha ammesso di aver dovuto accettare lavori al di sotto delle proprie qualifiche professionali. Le ragioni principali sono la mancanza di alternative (citata come prima causa) e l’incapacità dei datori di lavoro di riconoscere il valore delle competenze militari.

Certain segments of the veteran population are more vulnerable to this form of underemployment:

• Veterans with annual incomes below £20,799 are more prone to skill-related underemployment (59.4%) than those with incomes over £51,950 (44.7%);
• Disabled veterans show higher percentages of underutilisation of skills (56.5%) than non-disabled (47.8%);
• Those who felt unprepared for civilian life after discharge were twice as likely to be underemployed as those who felt prepared (68.5% versus 39.3%).

The data also show a significant difference depending on the branch of origin: veterans of the Royal Air Force are less prone to underemployment than those of the British Army and Royal Navy.

Volunteering and Sense of Community Belonging

Despite difficulties in the working world, many veterans continue to actively contribute to society. More than half (53.5%) have volunteered their time to organisations, clubs or charities in the past twelve months, a higher percentage than the general population (37.2%).

The main reasons given by those who did not volunteer include:

• Work commitments;
• Other leisure time interests;
• Health problems or disabilities that prevent activity.

Interestingly, volunteering is closely linked to a sense of belonging to the community: veterans who felt an integral part of their local community were more likely to volunteer (62.8%) than those who did not feel this sense of belonging (44.2%).

Furthermore, the figure for participation in volunteering remained almost unchanged between disabled and non-disabled veterans, highlighting a deep-rooted resilience and willingness to engage socially, despite any physical or psychological limitations.

Towards the Future: Improved Support and Opportunities to Develop

Alla luce delle criticità emerse, negli ultimi anni sono stati avviati nuovi programmi per migliorare il supporto ai veterani, come il rinnovato Career Transition Partnership (CTP) operativo da ottobre 2024 e l’iniziativa “Op ASCEND” lanciata nel marzo 2025. Questi programmi mirano a offrire:

• More continuity in career support;
• Access to high-level technical qualifications;
• Increased attention to mental health;
• Targeted support for specific categories, such as female veterans.

L’analisi qualitativa evidenzia anche alcune richieste concrete da parte dei veterani:

• Facilitated access to professional conversion courses;
• Mentoring by former military personnel successfully reintegrated into the civilian world;
• Increased networking and job placement opportunities during the transition period;
• Better coordination between government agencies, employers and veterans associations.

While it is clear that much has been achieved, the need for continued commitment to turn recognition of veterans into real opportunities remains evident. The Veterans' Survey 2022 reminds us that, beyond statistics, each figure represents stories of commitment, sacrifice and resilience that deserve full recognition and support in civic life.

Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/employment-analysis-of-uk-armed-forces-veterans