Frequently asked questions – National Veteran Employment Strategy

A1. The National Veterans Employment Strategy (NVES) is a comprehensive approach set out to improve employment opportunities for Veterans in Canada. This will be accomplished by advancing the four strategic objectives outlined in the strategy:

• Improving services and expanding programs for Veterans
• Creating and recognizing Veteran ready employers
• Positioning the public service as a leader for Veteran employment
• Building trusted partnerships.

We will work with other government departments, employers, stakeholders and non-government organizations to:

• Promote current employment services that are available for Veterans.
• Review current policies and programs and coordinate efforts to improve services.
• Develop a digital resource with information and tools for Veterans, employers and partner organizations.
• Develop criteria to recognize Veteran ready employers.
• Promote the Public Service Employment Act and other employment programs and services.
• Build a community for employers to share resources and best practices.

Veterans have served our country with honour. During their service, they acquired many unique skills and qualifications that make them excellent additions to any team. Our goal is to ensure that they find meaningful work following their release from the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF).

A2. While in service, Veterans develop skills and abilities from first-class training and experience that make them valuable assets to the workforce after service. Despite the many benefits of hiring Veterans, some Veterans have difficulty finding meaningful employment post military service, for no one reason in particular.

Our goal is to ensure that Veterans, in their transition from military service, or later on in their lives, have access to meaningful employment opportunities.

Employment plays a significant role in our well-being. It provides financial stability, fosters social connections, and gives a sense of purpose to our daily lives. It connects to three of the seven domains of well-being, and our dedication lies in supporting the overall well-being of Veterans.

Veteran employment is one of the key priorities for the Minister and Veterans Affairs Canada as it is one of the commitments outlined in the Minister’s mandate letter from the Prime Minister to launch a National Veterans Employment Strategy.

A3. The strategy will benefit Veterans by improving and expanding current supports and services. It will look into providing supports so Veterans can better translate their skills to civilian equivalences. It will also establish the groundwork for digital tools, such as a skills translation tool to convert military skills into easy to understand qualifications on a resume. The strategy will work to align supports, services and resources across the Veteran employment ecosystem.

A4. At this time, we are launching the strategy with the already dedicated funding and resources.

A5. Yes, Veterans were consulted. We also consulted a variety of groups and individuals to inform the development of this strategy and identify the most important objectives to focus on. For example, we consulted widely with organizations and individuals such as stakeholders, other government departments, the CAF, Veteran employers, equity-deserving groups, external organizations focused on Veteran employment and post-secondary institutions.

Since Fall 2022, we received input and feedback directly from 1,000 Veterans and organizations via the Let’s Talk Veterans platform survey, responses from approximately 70 employers and consulted with an additional 100 people via roundtables and virtual consultation sessions. We will continue to hold consultations about Veteran employment to shape the strategy as the needs of Veterans change along with Canadian labour market trends.

A6. Consultations on Veteran employment have been ongoing since September 2022. Veterans and their families, stakeholders, employers, and organizations supporting provincial or federal workplace/employment opportunities were included in the consultations.

There have been several consultations from Fall 2022 to Winter 2024:

1. Let’s Talk Veterans: a six-week online consultation that was open to the public, but mainly targeted Veterans, occurred in September / October 2022.
2. Employer Survey: a survey was sent in September 2022 to a list of employers that VAC corresponds with regularly and who already employ Veterans.
3. A Ministerial event took place in a hybrid form, with the in-person event taking place in Ottawa, in November 2022.
4. A discussion with a consortium of educational institutions took place in February 2023.
5. An intergovernmental consultation occurred in May 2023.
6. A Ministerial roundtable event on equity-deserving and non-dominant culture Veterans took place in June 2023 in Ottawa.
7. A set of four discussions took place in October 2023 with representatives from unions, post-secondary institutions, Indigenous and 2SLGBTQI+ communities.
8. National Stakeholder Summit: a two-day event held with representatives from Ministerial advisory groups and stakeholder groups to provide a forum to share information and hear feedback on existing, new, and upcoming benefits and services, as well as other issues of interest to the participants, including Veteran employment (March 2024).

These consultations focused on the awareness of programs and services for Veterans, the barriers they face when entering the workforce and what resources are missing. These consultations will continue as efforts outlined in the strategy are developed and implemented.

A7. VAC works with many employers and organizations. The participating organizations represented a wide range of sectors, including equity-deserving groups from across the country.

A8. The consultation brought attention to some key points, including the need for ongoing collaboration with the CAF to support serving members to begin planning for their transition earlier on in their careers.

The participants also highlighted a need to improve awareness of VAC programs and supports and to continue to highlight the successes of Veterans who transition to life after service.

In addition, we heard there is a need to assist Veterans and employers translate military skills to civilian skills required for post-military employment with a skills translation tool that can be easily accessed by Veterans and employers.

A9. For the first time in 50 years, the 2021 Census of Population collected data on both Veterans and serving CAF members. This information along with VAC program data, and Canadian research studies, were also referenced in the creation of the strategy. With this information, we learned that Veterans aged 25-64 represent a potential workforce of 259,605 people, and that approximately 13% of Veterans earned income through self-employment. These numbers indicate the potential economic impact that Veterans can have in Canada and shows that there are a large number of Veterans who would benefit from aligned Veteran employment supports.

A10. While existing measures reduce barriers to Veteran employment, some Veterans are underemployed, some have difficulty obtaining civilian equivalencies and others have a challenging time connecting with employers due to lack of network outside of the Forces. Retiring from the CAF can be incredibly overwhelming, and too many Veterans struggle to find meaningful employment. The National Veterans Employment Strategy will look to identify these barriers and set a path to reduce obstacles.

Based on consultation, Census 2021 data and research, we also know that some equity-deserving groups such as Indigenous and Women+ Veterans have higher unemployment and lower participation rates than the same groups within the general population. These groups may require the development of additional or targeted supports.

A11. In this first iteration of the strategy, the focus is on improving and expanding current supports as well as creating alignment between Veteran employment offerings. To do this we are concentrating on four strategic objectives:

• Improving services and expanding programs for Veterans
• Creating and recognizing Veteran ready employers
• Positioning the public service as a leader for Veteran employment
• Building trusted partnerships

A12. While the strategy is intended specifically to address the needs of Veterans, we do have career transition supports for members and spouses which can assist with one-on-one career counselling, help with resume writing, interview preparation and job-searching. Additionally, VAC works closely with the Military Family Services organizations to promote and share employment opportunities and connections with miliary and Veteran spouses.

A13. VAC works closely with numerous not-for-profit organizations and third parties that are active in this area. For example, we routinely engage with organizations such as Helmets to Hardhats, True Patriot Love Foundation, the Treble Victor Group as well as a variety of industry and trade associations. We have also liaised with organizations offering technology certification or reskilling programs for Veterans such as Coding for Veterans, Soldiers in Tech and Cyber Connexion. We have provided funding under the Veteran Family Well-Being Fund to several projects with a Veteran employment focus to enhance overall service and support to Veterans.

A14. In cooperation with the service provider for Career Transition Services (CTS), VAC hosts Veterans Employment webinars every few months throughout the year. The webinars typically are held over a few days and join up to 50 employers with over 800 registrants. During these events public service and private sector employers present career and job opportunities for Veterans. In 2021, we launched a LinkedIn Group called “Hire A Veteran” to connect Veterans with a network of Canadian employers. The group has over 5,500 members including representatives from over 500 employers.

A15. In 2015, the Public Service Employment Act was amended by the Veteran’s Hiring Act to help qualifying CAF members find federal public service jobs. VAC supports Veterans seeking careers in the public service, educating hiring managers and promoting Veterans as a talent pool. As of 31 January 2024, 1,407, medically released Veterans were hired after activating their Priority entitlement since July 2015.

The Public Service Commission of Canada (PSC) has reported that 65% of Veterans who activate their Priority entitlement are successful in securing employment. This is 10% higher than others with Priority. The Act also includes other provisions to enhance Veteran hiring. In 2020, the PSC jointly evaluated the implementation of the Veteran Hiring Act. They partnered with the Department of National Defence and the CAF to action the recommendations from the evaluation.

In cooperation with the service provider for CTS, VAC host several Veterans Employment webinars throughout the year. The webinars typically are held over a few days and have over 800 registrants. During these events public service and private sector employers present career and job opportunities for Veterans. In 2021, we launched a LinkedIn Group called “Hire A Veteran” to connect Veterans with a network of Canadian employers. The group has over 5,500 members including representatives from over 500 employers.

A16. As part of a routine process, the Public Service Commission of Canada (PSC) works with Department of National Defence to identify honourably released Veterans with at least 3 years of military service and CAF members with at least 3 years of military service. The PSC discovered a technical issue with the data transfer process from 13 November 2020 to 19 January 2024. This issue has been resolved.

The PSC is committed to implementing solutions for those who were impacted during this period in a transparent and timely fashion. The Public Service Commission is analyzing the issue in more detail and will communicate directly with those impacted.

We will continue working with our colleagues across all government agencies, including the PSC, to promote hiring Veterans into the Federal Public Service.

A17. The strategy is available on VAC’s website.

A18. There are currently 168 employees that have self-identified as Veterans as of January 2024.

A19. RCMP members are included as much as possible, as set out by the RCMP’s direction and has the authority over the services and supports that are available to its current and former members. Vocational support services are available and offered to RCMP members by the RCMP.

Retired RCMP members and members preparing to release are also able to receive service such as transition interviews, participate in our employment webinar series and join our Hire A Veteran LinkedIn group.