What Does a Reduced Headcount in the Army Mean for the Ex-Forces Market?
Defence spending is set to increase by £24bn over the next four years as plans for new capabilities around electronic warfare are taking precedence.
As part of this major overhaul of the armed forces, the size of the forces is set to reduce to 72,500 soldiers by 2025 as part of changes aimed to move the UK towards drones and cyber warfare.
Though the focus will primarily be on the move towards the use of AI to replace these people, there’s an even more important factor to consider – the 10,000 highly skilled ex-military personnel that will be available.
Beyond the reduction in troops, ships and planes…what do these changes mean for the ex-forces market?
A renewed focus on diversity and inclusion considerations
Across sectors, diversity and inclusion measures have been focused on like never before, yet ex-forces personnel are often still overlooked.
Though there are a number of services offering support to service leavers to connect them with employers who recognise their talent and skill set, ex-forces people are often overlooked when diversity and inclusion are being considered as part of the hiring process.
Mainly, the value that veterans can bring to a business is rarely acknowledged.
Though 71% of medium and large organisations state they would consider employing veterans, only 39% would employ a veteran with no industry experience.
Additionally, only 66% of medium and large organisations perceive veterans as having good communication skills, even though this is a strength highlighted by the organisations that have employed ex-forces employees.
An increase of skilled ex-forces personnel entering the workforce and/or actively job searching may bring a renewed emphasis to the importance of diversity for veterans, which may work in the favour of ex-forces candidates in the future.
What is the increased value that these ex-forces people can bring to businesses?
The addition of 10,000 highly skilled ex-forces people on the open candidate market is extremely beneficial to businesses for a number of reasons.
Here are just some of the benefits veterans brought to the businesses that employed them, according to a study by Veterans Work:
80% of organisations say they understand how military skills fit with their business’s needs.
72% of organisations with active ex-military recruitment would definitely recommend employing veterans (with a score of 10/10).
More than 53% of organisations that have employed veterans say they tend to be promoted faster than their workforce in general.
It’s not just the more commercial benefits of employing veterans that are hugely beneficial to businesses, though – the main advantage lies in the skillsets of veterans.
90% of organisations that employ veterans see them as performing well in 20 out of 25 skill areas (picking up specialist knowledge, oral communication, team-working, positive attitude, teaching others, managing/motivating staff, problem-solving).
These skills tend to be in the areas that organisations are experiencing gaps, particularly in strategic management, managing and motivating staff, and listening skills, which are all areas that veterans perform highly in according to their employers.
What does this mean for the ex-forces market overall?
On the whole, the impact could be largely positive.
That’s not to say there may not be drawbacks, and that the impact of the changes might not be hard to measure.
However, the renewed emphasis on diversity and inclusion in businesses, alongside the influx of ex-forces people joining the workforce can amount to a more positive perspective on what ex-forces candidates can offer organisations.
The skills that military personnel have are both highly transferable, and notoriously difficult for employers to headhunt for – these changes may bridge that gap in the form of employers understanding the benefits of onboarding more veterans.
A wider talent pool means that employers can benefit from greater access to talent, businesses can benefit from the additional skills of ex-forces employees, and ex-forces candidates may find their job search to be more accessible in the recruitment route.
The changes for ex-forces candidates
79% of working age veterans are employed, with 92% having a qualification (and are as likely as non-veterans to have qualifications).
The statistics might not speak to the personal experience of ex-forces candidates, though.
Whilst employment figures may say one thing, many ex-forces personnel will experience the reluctance many employers have towards hiring them, even when they are looking for the very skills that ex-forces personnel have.
There is also a key difference between a job and a career – ex-forces personnel want the same sense of fulfilment with their job as every other employee.
How ex-forces candidates may benefit
Ex-forces candidates could benefit from the influx of available ex-forces personnel into the workforce, primarily because if organisations see the benefits that veterans bring to other organisations, they are likely to consider actively recruiting veterans themselves.
There are skill gaps organisations know they need to fill, and many find it hard to recruit candidates who will fill that gap.
Ex-forces candidates are uniquely posed to provide exactly what many organisations are missing in terms of team-working skills and strategic management – all cross-functional skills.
In addition to the reduction in headcount, there’s likely to be a shift in the wake of the pandemic in terms of the rise in hybrid working (office work and remote work), as sectors across the board accommodate for this.
This makes the skills that ex-forces personnel have even more vital, as shifting work trends make the necessity for adaptability even greater.
Long story short…
For employers tearing their hair out at the recruitment stage, the potential that 10,000 highly skilled ex-forces personnel can bring to their business might be a welcome reprieve.
Not only are ex-forces candidates diverse in background, they are also diverse in transferable skills – something that will appeal to businesses looking to accelerate their diversity and inclusion strategy.
It is a mutually beneficial opportunity for employers to fill the skills gaps in their business and get serious about their diversity and inclusion obligations, whilst also offering candidates the chance to be more represented and valued in the workforce.