Veterans suffer ‘jobs discrimination’

Poor employment rates among ex-servicemen blamed on stereotypes that put firms off hiring them

STEREOTYPES about Armed Forces veterans as potentially “mad, bad and sad” are driving an unspoken discrimination against former servicemen and women in the civilian jobs market, according to the Royal British Legion.

Some employers appear to be ruling out those with military backgrounds because they assume they might dis- rupt office harmony by “barking orders” at colleagues or that the psychological scars of frontline action might hamper their performance, it finds.

Former servicemen seeking work complain they are viewed with suspicion by employers, fearful that they might turn out to be “the Vietnam vet in the corner”.

The Royal British Legion report, which pulls together existing research papers, argues that despite efforts by many companies to tap into the pool of talent among those leaving the Forces, there is still a “veterans’ employment gap” with former servicemen twice as likely to be unemployed as the wider population. Drawing on official workforce data as well as its own research, the Legion estimates that 120,000 veterans of working age in the UK are unemployed and looking for a job – about 11 per cent.

That amounts to more than twice the unemployment rate for the wider population which edged below 5 per cent in the most recent official figures.

The report blames a combination of factors for the employment gap, including, crucially, the structure of military training which, although highly specialised and potentially transferable to a wide variety of careers, does not always translate well outside the military world. Military qualifications often leave employers baffled, it finds.

But the report also points to evidence that “stereotypes and myths” about veterans are spoiling their chances of securing employment.

One company manager who was interviewed by Futures 4 Forces, the support group, is quoted as saying: “We need to keep our staff happy and the last thing they need is someone from outside who comes in and barks orders.”

A former serviceman looking for a job who was interviewed by the Poppy Factory, the employment charity, complained of “stereotypes of being, you know, the Vietnam vet in the corner – can’t do anything because every time I’m angry I might explode and grab a gun and shoot people”.

The Legion said more must be done to “recognise the value that veterans can bring to civilian workplaces”.