Retailer John Lewis became the 10,000th signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant last month. Signing the covenant is intended to demonstrate an organisation’s commitment to treat those who have served in the armed forces fairly – for businesses this means fair treatment in the employment process and supporting both serving personnel, veterans and their families in their professional lives.
In general, employers understand the benefits that hiring veterans can have. A 2022 YouGov survey found that 71% of employers think that ex-service personnel bring a strong work ethic to their organisation and 42% saw the potential benefits of recruiting them to fill skills gaps. This second point is particularly pertinent in a labour market where 80% of UK businesses report difficulties in filling vacancies.
With 16,250 people leaving the armed forces in the 12 months to October 2022 – up 17.4% on the previous year – it represents a sizeable talent pool. Accessing this talent, though, can prove to be difficult, with a third of employers stating that they find it difficult to engage with the ex-service community, according to a report from the civic organisation GoodPeople.