Budget 2020 | Andy Reid MBE Talks About National Insurance Breaks For Companies Employing Forces Veterans
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With the government setting out their vision for the future with the 2020 Budget, we spoke to Morson Forces ambassador Andy Reid MBE about the ex-forces proposal that has caught his eye.
The 2020 Budget could stand to be one of the most important in a generation. With the UK having withdrawn from the European Union at the end of January, it’s crucial that the government provide a solid budget in the wake of Brexit that supports the nations growth.
One part of the pre-Budget announcements that was particularly interesting for me was the announcement from Chancellor Rishi Sunak that companies are set to benefit from a national insurance cut in a bid to boost employment among armed forces veterans.
Under the plans, companies will be given a complete exemption from paying national insurance contributions for ex-armed forces employees in their first year of work. This would roughly work out as a £2,000 saving on a £25,000 salary.
Around 15,000 people leave the armed forces each year. For many of these veterans, life outside the armed forces is a relative unknown. It might seem like an alien concept to people who haven’t served but take it from me – adjusting to very normal activities like working a day-to-day civilian job and paying bills can be very tricky indeed, and that’s without the added pressure of figuring out just what you’re going to do after you leave the army behind.
Giving companies an incentive to employ veterans will not only provide greater options for service leavers across a variety of industries but also allow the businesses themselves to see first-hand just what a veteran can offer.
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Although many companies appreciate the value that employing a veteran can bring to an organisation, this scheme will hopefully encourage those business who haven’t, to consider the ex-forces communities excellent talent pool. I would recommend all organisations in all industries open their doors to veterans… universal and adaptable forces-learned skills like motivation, communication, discipline and teamwork are skills which are beneficial to any industry.
In my capacity as ex-forces ambassador for Morson Forces, I spend a lot of time working with their recruiters at roadshows across the country meeting a whole host of veterans who have either left the services or are about to. My job involves supporting the Morson recruiters in translating the many skills that these veterans have into civilian roles. I would highly recommend anyone who is about to transition into the civilian world come along to one of our events.
Morson are the largest technical recruiter in the UK and already employ over 2,500 ex-forces personnel across many sectors like aerospace and defence and marine. Morson are also holders of the Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) Gold Award, the Ministry of Defence’s highest badge of honour for organisations which have signed the Armed Forces Covenant and demonstrated outstanding support for those who serve and have served.
In short, these guys really know what they’re doing when it comes to supporting ex-forces veterans.
If you’re a service leaver looking for opportunities visit the Morson Forces careers portal or for advice on preparing to leave the armed forces, you can check out my own Guide to Resettlement here.
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