Increasing number of Canadians believe private sector obligated to help veterans find jobs

Toronto, ON — November 8, 2016 — Although still a minority, the number of Canadians who believe the private sector has the highest obligation to help veterans find jobs more than doubled from five per cent last year to 12 percent in 2016, according to a new national survey conducted by NANOS RESEARCH Group and released today by Commissionaires. 

“I was struck by the significant growth in the number of Canadians who believe the private sector bears some responsibility to help veterans find jobs,” said Vice-Admiral Duncan Miller (Ret’d), National Board Chair, Commissionaires. 

The views of Ontarians differed somewhat from the national average on the survey’s central question. More than 13 per cent of respondents from Ontario believe the private sector has the highest obligation to help veterans find jobs while the national average was marginally lower at just under 12 per cent.

Commissionaires is the largest private sector employer of Canadian veterans.  Each year, Commissionaires hires more than 1,000 veterans in its 15 divisions across the country to provide a full range of security services to clients in the private and public sectors. 

“Finding a job after finishing their military service is difficult for veterans in this economic climate,” commented Tom Prins, CEO, Commissionaires Great Lakes. “We try to help by hiring them, but clearly Canadians think more private sector employers should do the same thing.”

The survey revealed that men (15.3%) are more likely than women (7.8%) to consider the private sector as having the most important obligation to help veterans find jobs after leaving the military. Eighty per cent of respondents rank the federal government as having the highest obligation to ensure veterans find meaningful employment.

Since 1925, Commissionaires have provided meaningful employment in the security services industry for veterans as they make the transition from the Canadian Armed Forces to civilian life.

Nanos Research conducted a hybrid telephone and online random survey of 1,000 Canadians of 18 years of age or older between August 22nd and 25th, 2016 as part of an omnibus survey. The participants were recruited by telephone using live agents and administered a survey online. The margin of error for a random survey of 1,000 Canadians is ±3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.