Report provides data on veteran wellbeing, education, employment and income

In September, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) released a report called Understanding the wellbeing characteristics of ex-serving ADF members. It is the first of its kind to deliver comprehensive information on veterans’ educational qualifications and employment outcomes following their transition to civilian life.

The report focuses on ex-serving ADF members with one day of service between 1 January 2001 and 31 December 2015, and looks at key outcomes in their civilian life. The report draws on data from the 2016 Census, which was the data available at the time the research was done.

Overall, the report found that the majority of veterans were doing well in 2016 and had attained higher education qualifications, were employed, earned higher incomes, owned their own homes and were socially connected.

However, we acknowledge this is not the case for all veterans. Those who separated from the ADF involuntarily for medical reasons experienced wellbeing challenges, such as higher unemployment rates, had lower levels of education qualifications, and were receiving lower incomes in 2016 than those who separated for other reasons.

One of the key findings from the report showed that nearly two in five (38 per cent) ex-serving ADF females had a bachelor degree or higher, a rate 1.4 times higher than Australian females (26 per cent) and one quarter (25 per cent) of ex-serving ADF males had a bachelor degree or higher, which is similar to Australian males (22 per cent).  The report also showed that over three quarters of ex-serving ADF members lived with spouses and generally had higher weekly personal incomes than that of the broader Australian population.

DVA has commissioned the AIHW to conduct research into a range of topics around the health and wellbeing of veterans. During 2022-23, the AIHW will undertake further analysis, drawing on the newly available 2021 ABS Census data.

This research will inform policies and programs to meet the current needs of veterans and their families, and helps us anticipate where focus must be placed in the future.

To read the full report, visit the AIHW website.