The Prime Minister's Veterans Employment Program: What It Offers and How to Use It

What the Prime Minister's Veterans Employment Program Actually Is

The Prime Minister's Veterans Employment Program is a government-led effort to lift employment outcomes for people who have served. It began back in 2016 to raise awareness of the skills and experience veterans bring to civilian workplaces, and it has grown into a broad set of resources delivered by the Department of Veterans' Affairs.

Today it is run as the Veteran Employment Program, which promotes veteran skills to employers and helps organisations build veteran-inclusive workplaces. The aim is simple. It tries to break down the barriers that stop good employers and good candidates from finding each other.

This is a free awareness and jobs program, not a compensation scheme. It will not pay you money for a service injury. That side of things is separate, and it is where many veterans may not know what DVA support could apply to their service-related conditions. If you are managing a service-related condition alongside your job search, our Permanent Impairment Claims service can help you understand what you may be entitled to.

Why Employment Support Matters After Service

Most ex-serving members do find work, but the transition is rarely smooth. Skills that were obvious in uniform can be hard to explain on a job application, and the loss of routine and identity hits harder than people expect.

The numbers tell a steadier story than you might think. Using 2016 Census-linked data, AIHW reported an unemployment rate of 4.9% for ex-serving males and 4.5% for ex-serving females, compared with 6.6% and 6.3% for Australian males and females, respectively. That is encouraging, but it hides the veterans who take any job rather than the right one, or who drop out of the workforce altogether.

The same research notes that symptoms of poor mental health can affect a veteran's ability to secure and keep employment. This is why career support and health support work best together. A job search is far harder when you are also fighting to have a condition recognised.

Common Hurdles Veterans Tell Us About

Across the veterans we work with, the same few obstacles come up again and again:

• Skill translation: Leading a section or maintaining complex equipment does not map neatly onto a civilian job description.
• Confidence: Many veterans have not written an application or sat a job interview in years.
• Health and stability: An unresolved injury or mental health condition makes every other step heavier.
• Network gaps: Service gives you an instant professional network, and civilian life asks you to rebuild it from nothing.

The Tools Available Through the Program

The strength of the program is in its practical resources. These are designed for real job seekers, not for filling out forms.

At the centre sits the Veteran Employment Toolkit, which includes a Core Skills Identifier that helps translate ADF rank-based skills into language that reads well on a civilian resume. You can use the wording it produces directly in applications and interview prep. The toolkit also covers: 

• Finding a job
• Adjusting to a civilian workplace
• Further education

For veterans entering the Australian Public Service, VetPaths offers a six-month support pathway built around development, connection and wellness. It pairs formal learning with mentoring and peer support, which makes the first months in a new role far less isolating.

How Employers Get Involved

The program is not only about job seekers. A large part of it works on the employer side, encouraging businesses to actively recruit and retain veterans.

The main vehicle here is the renewed Veteran Employment Commitment, launched in April 2024, which lets employers be recognised at three levels up to Veteran Employer of Choice. Organisations earn their level based on what they actually do across:

• Recruitment
• Support and retention
• Public leadership

For job seekers, this gives you a way to find employers that have publicly documented veteran employment practices.

The program also runs the Prime Minister's National Veteran Employment Awards, which:

• Celebrate veterans
• Partners
• Organisations that support them

These awards are more than ceremony. They signal to the wider business community that hiring veterans is a smart decision, not a charitable one.

How to Access Support Right Now

If you are recently out or about to separate, timing matters. Some support has a clear window attached to it.

The Support for Employment program is available to eligible veterans who transitioned from the permanent ADF between one and five years ago. Eligible veterans can access it through MyService, where a Support for Employment tile should appear if they meet the criteria.

For those drawn to running their own business, the King’s Trust Australia Enterprise Programme supports transitioning ADF members, veterans, reservists and partners of current or former serving members who want to explore, start or grow a business. From 2025, priority placements are offered to ADF veterans and partners aged 35 and under.

Self-employment suits a lot of veterans, because the planning and leadership skills you already hold translate directly into running an operation.

The program also continues to grow. DVA’s 2026–27 Budget information sheet confirms funding to extend the Veteran Employment Program, with the extension commencing from 1 July 2026.

How to Work Out Which Support Pathway Fits

Veterans often get stuck because employment support, health support and DVA claims sit in different parts of the system. Before applying for anything, separate the issue into three questions:

• If you need help translating your ADF skills into civilian language, start with the Veteran Employment Toolkit and Core Skills Identifier.
• If you transitioned from a permanent ADF position between one and five years ago, check MyService for the Support for Employment title.
• If you are entering the APS, look at whether VetPaths applies to your new role or application pathway.
• If your service-related condition is affecting your ability to work, treat that as a DVA claims issue, not an employment program issue.

The common delay we see is veterans trying to use an employment program to solve a health or claims problem. The Veteran Employment Program can help with civilian career movement, but it does not assess liability, recognise service-related conditions or arrange treatment for an injury. Those issues sit within the DVA claims system and need to be handled separately.

Where Your Career and Your Claim Meet

Here is the connection we wish more veterans understood. A job search is often steadier when your health needs, accepted conditions and support options are being properly addressed.

Too many veterans take the first job that appears because they need income now, not because it fits their long-term goals or their health. When a service-related condition is recognised and the right supports are in place, it may be easier to plan work around your health, treatment needs and long-term capacity.

The employment program will not assess or compensate for a service injury. That sits within the DVA claims system, and the rules are genuinely complex. Our team includes Australia's largest group of former DVA delegates, and we have supported over 10,000 veterans to access their entitlements. If you want to understand what DVA entitlements may apply to your service-related conditions, our team of former DVA delegates can talk you through the claims pathway.

Putting the Program to Work for You

The Prime Minister's Veterans Employment Program gives you genuine, free tools to make your move into civilian work smoother and smarter. From skill translation to a searchable list of veteran-friendly employers, the resources are there for the taking. If you are ready to understand what DVA entitlements may apply to your service-related conditions, contact our team for clear claims support from start to finish.

If you are struggling with your mental health during your transition, free and confidential support is available 24/7 through Open Arms – Veterans & Families Counselling.