Thanks for Remembering - but now what?

On Monday 11th November we Australians will once again commemorate Remembrance Day. While Anzac day has been established as the primary occasion that the community remembers those who have served in the military and the sacrifices they’ve made, the public holiday means there is limited connection to the workplace for this event. When Remembrance Day falls on a business day it provides a key moment to engage employers of all shapes and sizes. For a minute workplaces around the nation will pause to remember… and then what?

After the silence the opportunity exists to ask employers to do more than just remember. In my view one of the most tangible ways businesses, government and other organisations can make a difference is by improving employment outcomes for Veterans and Defence spouses.

Recent analysis by 2017 Churchill Fellow Amanda McCue identified that spouses of Defence personnel have an unemployment rate of 14% and a further 12% underemployment rate. Just 11% of spouses surveyed felt their career had been unaffected by their partner’s service in the military. Given the current unemployment rate is around 5.3% this is a significant price ~ 30 thousand partners can pay for their loved ones’ service.

For Veterans, the challenge is even more severe. Research by With You With Me in 2017 reported an unemployment rate of 30% and underemployment rate of 19% for Veterans. In addition to the challenges obtaining employment, Veterans reported having to take an average 30% pay cut when making the transition. When so many Veterans are struggling to have their inherent skills, knowledge and capabilities valued by employers, it is clear we have a problem. This is not career soldiers looking to keep busy for a few years before retirement; this is mostly young men and women in their 20’s looking to start their civilian careers after doing their part to serve our nation.

The Prime Minister’s Veterans Employment Program has proven to be a highly effective vehicle to raise awareness of the challenges Veterans face in gaining meaningful employment, and I’m very grateful to Malcolm Turnbull for this initiative (and perhaps his son-in-law and veteran James Brown for his soft diplomacy). This program also has made a start on facing the challenge of Defence spouse employment but there is much more to be done on this side of the ledger.

But I don’t want to just pontificate in this note. In the end no one is as invested in improving the current state than Veterans themselves. As a veteran who has made a successful transition to the ‘real world’ I’m happy to make a public declaration of what I will commit to do to make a difference.

I commit to advocating for better employment opportunities for Veterans and Defence spouses at the Suncorp Group. As founding Chair of Suncorp’s Veterans, Reserves and Defence Families advocacy group I’ve been really happy with the start we’ve made since launching in April 2019, but we’ve got plenty more to do.

I commit to being available to fellow Veterans and Defence spouses to provide advice and insight on making the transition or shifting to a new city. Feel free to reach out if you think I can help you. The art of the ‘coffee catch up’ is a skill that is key to obtaining employment in the corporate world after all!

Finally supporting Veterans, Reserves and Defence Families advances the common good; our competitors become allies with a common cause. I commit to being available to give advice and assistance to other employers who wish to improve the opportunities for Veterans and Defence Spouses. Feel free to reach out for advice on how to get started supporting the Defence community in your workplace.  

Thanks for reading & It’d be great to hear what you think. These thoughts are my own and are not representative of any organisation I'm affiliated with. It's also my first use of Linkedin's publishing feature so interested to see the effectiveness of this communication channel!

-BD