How Employers Can Help Veterans Advance in Their Careers

By Eric Ryan

Veterans bring valuable skills to the workplace once they transition from military to civilian work, including leadership, integrity, problem-solving, teamwork, discipline, and adaptability. The 2024 University of Phoenix Career Institute® Career Optimism Index® study found that most veterans (87%) agree they have a strong skillset to be successful in their career beyond military life.

However, this important group of workers also face unique challenges in the digital age. About half (43%) worry that their job skills will become outdated because of advancements in technology (e.g., , automation), and many (75%) say they need to continue learning new skills, including tech skills, to stay ahead in their career.

Veterans' concerns mostly reflect those of everyone in the workforce overall. Like most of us, they have concerns about managing work-related stress and anxiety and needing support with managing mental health and wellness — 43% of veterans say they are having a harder time managing work-related stress/anxiety now than a year ago, similar to 41% of the workforce overall, and 51% of veterans say they need some level of support with managing their mental health/wellness compared to 49% of the workforce overall.

By providing clearer and more flexible opportunities for veteran workers to advance internally, employers have the opportunity develop their dynamic talent, serving business objectives and veteran workers' career ambitions. Here are a few ways employers can help support and develop their veteran workforce in the year ahead:

About the author:

Eric Ryan is a Marine Corps veteran and Senior Director of Military Operations at the University of Phoenix.