Total VeteranVeteran Job Trends 2027 and 2028: What the Latest Data Projects
Official projections to 2035 show growth in healthcare, technology, trades, construction and defence. Dated tables for the UK and US and what they mean if you leave in 2027 or 2028.
- BLS projects total US employment to rise 3.5% from 2025 to 2035 (release of 27 August 2026), with office support falling 4.0%.
- US veteran unemployment averaged 3.5% in 2025, against 4.2% for non-veterans (BLS, 28 April 2026).
- UK service leaver employment at six months fell from 89% in 2022/23 to 86% in 2024/25 (MOD, 12 February 2026).
- Skills England projects construction priority occupations to grow by 493,000 (26%) from 2025 to 2035.
- Federal government employs 12.7% of US veterans and BLS projects it to shrink 3.4% by 2035.
For people leaving the forces in 2027 or 2028, the official projections point to growth in healthcare, technology, skilled trades, construction, clean energy and defence, and to decline in office administration and federal government jobs in the United States. Veterans in both countries are currently employed at high rates, but the 2025 and 2026 data show cooling in the UK and a shrinking federal employer in the US. This article sets out the latest figures with their dates and explains what they mean for a 2027 or 2028 exit.
Read the projections as projections
No official body publishes a forecast for veterans in 2027 or 2028 specifically. The BLS, the US federal labour statistics agency, projects employment from 2025 to 2035 and Skills England covers the same decade. These are ten-year estimates built on assumptions. They show direction and scale, and they can change when policy, defence spending or technology changes. The tables below give the publication date of every figure.
The labour market people enter in 2026
| Indicator | United States | United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|
| Headline unemployment | 4.2% in September 2026 (BLS, 2 October 2026) | 4.9% in May to July 2026 (ONS, 15 September 2026) |
| Veteran unemployment | 3.5% for all veterans and 3.6% for post-9/11 veterans in 2025, against 4.2% for non-veterans (BLS, 28 April 2026) | 7% of 2024/25 regular service leavers unemployed six months after leaving (MOD, 12 February 2026) |
| Veteran employment | 8,042,000 employed veterans in 2025 | 86% of 2024/25 leavers employed at six months, down from 89% in 2022/23 |
| Recent direction | Payrolls up 29,000 in September 2026, with gains in healthcare, construction and manufacturing | Vacancies 702,000; payrolled employees down 101,000 over the year to July 2026 |
The UK Career Transition Partnership (CTP) bulletin covers 14,588 regular and Gurkha personnel who left in 2024/25, of whom 8,130 reported an outcome at six months. The bulletin links the fall in employment to employer caution about hiring and fewer vacancies, and says the move to a new CTP provider may have raised the number of unknown outcomes (CTP annual statistics 2024/25). Employed leavers worked mainly in associate professional and technical roles (23%), professional roles (19%) and skilled trades (17%).
The BLS veteran release covers 2025 annual averages and excludes October 2025, when the survey was not collected during the federal shutdown (BLS, Employment Situation of Veterans, 28 April 2026). Post-9/11 veterans had a 78.1% labour force participation rate.
Where veterans work now
| US industry (share of employed, 2025) | All veterans | Non-veterans |
|---|---|---|
| Government | 24.4% | 13.0% |
| Federal government | 12.7% (16.2% of post-9/11 veterans) | 2.1% |
| Manufacturing | 12.0% | 9.0% |
| Professional and business services | 11.7% | 11.9% |
| Education and health services | 9.2% | 16.6% |
By occupation, 12.5% of US veterans work in natural resources, construction and maintenance (non-veterans 8.8%), and 15.5% in production, transportation and material moving (non-veterans 11.9%). In the UK, ONS Census 2021 analysis found veterans over-represented in public administration and defence and in transport and storage (ONS, 7 June 2024).
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United States: roles projected to grow, 2025 to 2035
The BLS released these projections on 27 August 2026. Total employment is projected to rise 3.5%, from 170.3 million to 176.2 million jobs (BLS Employment Projections release).
| Occupation | Change 2025 to 2035 | Jobs added | Median pay (2025) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home health and personal care aides | 18.1% | 847,300 | $35,800 |
| Software developers | 10.2% | 174,700 | $135,980 |
| General and operations managers | 5.0% | 181,300 | $105,770 |
| Medical and health services managers | 24.2% | 155,100 | $123,860 |
| Management analysts | 10.1% | 109,200 | $101,860 |
| Computer and information systems managers | 15.8% | 108,100 | $175,140 |
| Information security analysts | 21.0% | 40,600 | $129,180 |
| Data scientists | 34.6% | 95,400 | $120,230 |
| Construction laborers | 7.3% | 109,300 | $47,120 |
| Substance abuse, behavioural disorder and mental health counsellors | 18.4% | 98,000 | $59,350 |
| Solar photovoltaic installers | 36.5% | 11,300 | $53,140 |
| Wind turbine service technicians | 29.5% | 3,500 | $64,120 |
Figures come from the BLS tables of most job growth and fastest-growing occupations. Occupational Outlook Handbook pages add four roles relevant to service leavers:
- Logisticians: 18% growth, 44,900 jobs, median pay $82,320.
- Electricians: 9% growth, 75,900 jobs, median pay $63,190.
- Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers: 4% growth, 83,800 jobs, median pay $58,640.
- Police and detectives: 3% growth, 24,200 jobs, median pay $77,310.
Sectors on the decline
The BLS projects office and administrative support to fall 4.0% (752,100 jobs), sales and related occupations 1.4%, and production occupations 0.4%. Federal government employment is projected to fall 3.4%. Utilities lead sector growth at 9.8%, private healthcare and social assistance adds 9.5% (over 2.2 million jobs), and professional, scientific and technical services adds 8.6% (926,700 jobs).
United Kingdom: sectors projected to grow, 2025 to 2035
Skills England published sector skills needs assessments for ten priority sectors on 4 August 2026. The figures below cover each sector's priority occupations, combining government projections with Skills England analysis (Skills England annual skills report 2026).
| Sector | Projected growth in priority occupations | Total demand including replacements | Qualification level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction | 493,000 (26%) | About 1,088,000 | 59% of extra jobs need level 2 or 3 |
| Digital and technologies | About 239,000 (27%) | About 488,000 | 89% need level 4 or above |
| Adult social care (England) | 281,000 (28%) | About 685,000 | 79% need level 2 or 3 |
| Clean energy | 63,000 (71%) | About 99,000 | 59% need level 2 or 3 |
| Advanced manufacturing | 47,000 (13%) | About 148,000 | 84% need level 4 or above |
| Defence | About 53,000 (58%) | About 82,000 | 87% need level 4 or above |
Three details matter for service leavers. In construction, construction and building trades has the largest projected increase at 53,300 workers. In defence, programmers and software development professionals lead at about 17,200. Skills England calls the defence figures provisional, since they may change after the Defence Investment Plan is published, and its alternative scenario, which excludes planned defence spending rises, projects only 7,900 extra workers (9%).
Global view: the World Economic Forum
The WEF Future of Jobs Report 2025, published on 7 January 2025, surveyed employers on 2025 to 2030. It projects 170 million jobs created and 92 million displaced by 2030, a net gain of 78 million, or 7% of current employment (WEF digest). The fastest-growing roles are big data specialists, fintech engineers, AI and machine learning specialists and software developers. Construction workers and delivery drivers are among the largest absolute gainers. Clerical roles, bank tellers and data entry clerks decline fastest. Employers also report that 39% of current worker skills will be transformed or outdated by 2030.
What this means if you leave in 2027 or 2028
The following points are our reading of the data above. They are inferences.
- Trades and technical roles have the strongest demand signal. Skills England projects large construction and clean energy growth at level 2 and 3, and BLS projects steady demand for electricians and logisticians.
- Technology roles reward level 4 qualifications. Digital and defence growth concentrates in jobs that need degree-level or equivalent study, so plan funded study before your last day. See ELCAS and Standard Learning Credits.
- US federal employment is shrinking while veterans rely on it. Federal government employs 12.7% of veterans and 16.2% of post-9/11 veterans, and the BLS projects a 3.4% fall. Apply across private industry as well.
- UK outcomes have cooled. Employment at six months fell from 89% to 86% over two years. Start CTP and job search work early.
- Administrative roles are the weakest target. Both the BLS and the WEF project decline in clerical and office support.
BLS projections were released on 27 August 2026 and Skills England assessments on 4 August 2026. Check for updates before you finalise a training or relocation decision, and see our WEF 2030 breakdown for the global picture.
What to do this week
- List three roles from the tables that match your qualifications and check their entry requirements this week.
- Check your education entitlement (ELCAS in the UK, GI Bill in the US) for a level 4 or degree-level course.
- Search private-sector vacancies as well as federal or public roles if you are a US leaver.
- Book your CTP or Transition Assistance sessions at the earliest date your unit allows.
- Save the BLS and Skills England pages and check them for updates before you commit to training.
Questions people ask
What are the best jobs for veterans in 2027 and 2028?
What is the veteran unemployment rate in 2026?
Are there official forecasts for veterans in 2027 and 2028 specifically?
Will AI affect veteran jobs by 2030?
- BLS, "Employment Projections and Occupational Outlook Handbook News Release, 2025 Results" (27 August 2026). https://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/ecopro_08272026.htm
- BLS, "Fastest growing occupations, projected 2025 to 2035". https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables/fastest-growing-occupations.htm
- BLS, "Occupations with the most job growth, 2025 to 2035". https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables/occupations-most-job-growth.htm
- BLS, "Employment Situation of Veterans, 2025" (28 April 2026). https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/vet.pdf
- MOD, "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
- ONS, "UK labour market: September 2026" (15 September 2026). https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/bulletins/uklabourmarket/latest
- Skills England, "Annual skills report and sectoral skills needs assessments 2026" (1 June 2026, updated 4 August 2026). https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/skills-england-annual-skills-report-and-sectoral-skills-needs-assessments-2026
- Skills England, "Sector Skills Needs Assessment: Defence" (4 August 2026). https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/skills-england-annual-skills-report-and-sectoral-skills-needs-assessments-2026/sector-skills-needs-assessment-defence
- Skills England, "Sector Skills Needs Assessment: Construction" (4 August 2026). https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/skills-england-annual-skills-report-and-sectoral-skills-needs-assessments-2026/sector-skills-needs-assessment-construction
- World Economic Forum, "The Future of Jobs Report 2025" digest (7 January 2025). https://www.weforum.org/publications/the-future-of-jobs-report-2025/digest/
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