Total VeteranUK Veteran Employment Data and Job Forecasts: What Exists and What Is Missing
The UK publishes strong workforce projections and annual service-leaver outcomes, but no occupation-level link between them. Here is the data that exists, with figures, and the gaps.
- 86 percent of responding UK service leavers were employed six months after leaving in 2024/25, down from 88 percent; 7 percent were unemployed.
- Skills England projects priority occupations to grow by about 1.8 million, or 24 percent, from 2025 to 2035.
- Women leavers show 79 percent employment and 15 percent inactivity; medically discharged leavers show 73 percent employment.
- The CTP bulletin reports only broad occupation groups and no industry or self-employment breakdown.
- The US publishes annual veteran employment by industry and occupation alongside occupation projections; the UK publishes no equivalent link.
The UK now publishes good projections for the whole workforce, but it has no regular, occupation-level outlook for veterans. Skills England's 2026 annual report and sector assessments project demand to 2035, and the Career Transition Partnership (CTP) reports every year on how service leavers fare. What is missing is a series that links the two: employment outcomes for veterans by industry and detailed occupation, updated each year. This article sets out what exists, with figures, and where the gaps are.
UK sources on veteran employment and job demand
| Source | Latest edition | What it covers | Main limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| CTP annual statistics, employment outcomes 2024/25 | Published 12 February 2026 | Employment status six months after leaving, by gender, ethnicity, rank, age and medical discharge | Covers service leavers who used a billable CTP service and reported an outcome: 8,130 of 14,588 leavers |
| ONS, labour market status of UK armed forces veterans, Census 2021 | Released 7 June 2024 | Veterans of all ages in England and Wales, by industry, occupation, hours and qualification | A single snapshot from March 2021, England and Wales only |
| ONS, employment, skills and volunteering for UK armed forces veterans | 23 April 2025 | Employment, work sector and hours from the Veterans’ Survey 2022 | One survey year; next release is listed as to be announced |
| Forces in Mind Trust Research Centre, employment snapshot | Version 2, February 2021 | Summary of research on veteran employment, barriers and sectors | Draws on data up to 2020, including the 2017 Annual Population Survey |
| Skills England annual skills report 2026 | 6 July 2026, updated 6 October 2026 | Demand for 150 priority occupations across ten sectors to 2035 | Covers all workers; the four sector assessments reviewed for this article do not mention armed forces leavers |
| DfE labour market and skills projections 2020 to 2035 | Revised 5 August 2024 | Projected industries, occupations and qualifications by nation and region | Base year 2020; no veteran breakdown |
What the latest UK veteran employment data shows
The CTP bulletin for 2024/25 reports that 86 percent of responding leavers were employed six months after leaving, down from 88 percent in 2023/24. Unemployment rose from 5 percent to 7 percent, and 8 percent were economically inactive. The response rate fell from 87 percent to 80 percent.
| Group (2024/25) | Employed | Unemployed | Inactive |
|---|---|---|---|
| All responding leavers | 86% | 7% | 8% |
| Men | 86% | 7% | 7% |
| Women | 79% | 7% | 15% |
| White | 87% | 6% | 8% |
| UK ethnic minority | 75% | 15% | 11% |
| Non-UK ethnic minority | 59% | 23% | 22% |
| Other ranks | 86% | Not reported | 8% |
| Officers | 81% | Not reported | 12% |
| Medically discharged | 73% | 13% | 16% |
| Not medically discharged | 87% | 6% | 7% |
Employment was highest for those leaving aged 40 to 44 (90 percent) and lowest for those aged 50 and over (73 percent). Among employed leavers, 23 percent worked in associate professional and technical occupations, 19 percent in professional occupations and 17 percent in skilled trades. Skilled trades employed 18 percent of men and 5 percent of women. That is the finest occupational detail the bulletin gives.
The Census 2021 analysis adds industry detail for all veterans in England and Wales. Public administration and defence employs 11.6 percent of veterans against 5.9 percent of comparable non-veterans. Transport and storage employs 9.8 percent against 7.0 percent. Construction employs 11.1 percent against 13.1 percent. Among men, 17.2 percent of veterans work as process, plant and machine operatives against 13.1 percent of non-veterans, and 15.7 percent work in associate professional and technical roles against 11.0 percent.
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Where UK demand is heading: sectors and roles
Skills England projects growth in priority occupations, meaning those named as critical to the Industrial Strategy, from 2025 to 2035. Across all ten sectors, employment in priority occupations is projected to rise by about 1.8 million, or 24 percent. The table shows four sectors that match common service skills.
| Sector (priority occupations) | Projected growth to 2035 | Total demand including replacement |
|---|---|---|
| Construction | +493,000 (26%) | About 1,088,000 |
| Digital and technologies | +239,000 (27%) central; +11% alternative | About 488,000 |
| Defence | +53,000 (58%) central; +7,900 (9%) alternative | 82,000 (central) |
| Advanced manufacturing | +47,000 (13%) central; +6% alternative | 148,000 |
The table below pairs roles that Skills England flags with the pay ranges published by the National Careers Service. Skills England gives no pay figures, and the National Careers Service gives no growth figures, so neither source alone answers both questions.
| Role | Salary range (starter to experienced) | Skills England signal |
|---|---|---|
| Software developer | £30,000 to £75,000 | Programmers and software development professionals: +69,000 in digital, +17,200 in defence and +7,500 in advanced manufacturing; total demand of 192,200 across priority sectors, with the report noting uncertainty |
| Electrical engineer | £27,000 to £58,000 | Priority occupation in four sectors |
| Civil engineer | £29,000 to £63,000 | Priority occupation in four sectors |
| Mechanical engineer | £28,000 to £60,000 | Priority occupation in three sectors |
| Welder | £25,000 to £45,000 | Welding trades are a priority occupation in three sectors |
| Care worker | £20,000 to £25,000 | Care workers and home carers are among the largest projected increases |
For reference, median gross annual earnings for full-time UK employees were £39,039 in April 2025 (provisional). Several of these roles pay above that figure at the experienced end, and the care worker range sits well below it.
The gaps, and how the US compares
| Feature | United States | United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|
| Annual job projections by detailed occupation | BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, with growth, jobs added, openings and pay for each occupation | Skills England priority occupations and DfE projections; the DfE set has a 2020 base year |
| Annual veteran employment statistics | BLS Employment Situation of Veterans: 3.5% veteran unemployment in 2025, with industry and occupation tables | CTP outcomes for leavers who used a billable service; ONS Census 2021 and Veterans’ Survey 2022 as one-off snapshots |
| Veteran outcomes by industry | Published each year | Not in the CTP bulletin; available from Census 2021 for England and Wales only |
| Link between veteran outcomes and job projections | BLS publishes both series | No published link; sector assessments do not mention leavers |
Four specific gaps follow. First, the CTP bulletin gives no industry or self-employment breakdown and only three headline occupation groups. Second, the Census figures are from 2021 and cover England and Wales. Third, the Veterans' Survey 2022 is a single year with no scheduled successor. Fourth, outcome data covers only leavers who used a CTP service and responded.
The FiMT snapshot adds context from earlier research: in a 2020 study, 36 percent of employers found veterans' CVs hard to understand and 56 percent of veterans felt employers did not grasp their skills. Those figures date from 2020, which shows how little recent evidence exists on the translation problem.
How to plan with the data that exists
- Use the BLS occupational tables and the forecast comparison for direction, and treat US figures as guidance on the global direction of work. US growth rates do not transfer to UK jobs.
- Take UK sector demand from the Skills England assessment for your target sector and check the priority occupations list for your role.
- Take pay from the National Careers Service profile and from live UK job adverts for your region.
- Use the sector comparison to see which industries already employ veterans in large numbers.
- Ask your CTP adviser for the latest destination data for your service and rank.
Veteran employment figures differ by source because each source counts a different group. CTP covers recent regular leavers six months after exit. The Census covers all veterans of every age on one day in March 2021. Quote the source and year with every number.
What to do this week
- Open the latest CTP annual statistics and read the figures for your gender, rank and age at exit.
- Find your target sector in the Skills England sector assessments and note the priority occupations.
- Check the National Careers Service profile for your target role and record the salary range.
- Compare the Census 2021 industry shares to see where veterans already work in your region.
- Quote the source and year beside every statistic you use in a CV, bid or application.
Questions people ask
What is the employment rate for UK service leavers?
Does the UK have an equivalent of the BLS Employment Projections?
What jobs do UK veterans do?
Where can I find UK job growth forecasts by occupation?
- Ministry of Defence, "Career Transition Partnership annual statistics: UK Regular Service Personnel Employment Outcomes 2024/25" (12 February 2026). https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/698b15cd95285e721cd71275/Career_Transition_Partnership_annual_statistics_UK_Regular_Service_Personnel_Employment_Outcomes__2024-25.pdf
- Office for National Statistics, "The labour market status of UK armed forces veterans, England and Wales: Census 2021" (7 June 2024). https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/armedforcescommunity/articles/thelabourmarketstatusofukarmedforcesveteransenglandandwales/latest
- Office for National Statistics, "Employment, skills and volunteering for UK armed forces veterans: employment, work sector and hours worked" (23 April 2025). https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/armedforcescommunity/datasets/employmentskillsandvolunteeringforukarmedforcesveteransemploymentworksectorandhoursworked
- Forces in Mind Trust Research Centre, "UK armed forces veterans' employment: snapshot" (version 2, February 2021). https://cdn.fimt-rc.org/2022-snapshot-employment.pdf
- Skills England and DWP, "Skills England annual skills report 2026" (6 July 2026, updated 6 October 2026). https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/skills-england-annual-skills-report-and-sectoral-skills-needs-assessments-2026/skills-england-annual-skills-report-2026
- Skills England, "Sector skills needs assessment: Defence" (2026). https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/skills-england-annual-skills-report-and-sectoral-skills-needs-assessments-2026/sector-skills-needs-assessment-defence
- Department for Education, "Labour market and skills projections: 2020 to 2035" (updated 5 August 2024). https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/labour-market-and-skills-projections-2020-to-2035
- Office for National Statistics, "Employee earnings in the UK: 2025" (23 October 2025). https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/bulletins/annualsurveyofhoursandearnings/2025
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, "Employment Situation of Veterans, 2025" (28 April 2026). https://www.bls.gov/news.release/vet.nr0.htm
- National Careers Service, job profiles (software developer, electrical engineer, civil engineer, mechanical engineer, welder, care worker). https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/job-profiles/civil-engineer
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