Redeployable warns employers are missing service members years before separation

Redeployable says only six of 60 large U.S. employers meaningfully engage service members before their final six months in uniform, leaving a large pool of future hires untapped. The report argues employers need to build relationships one to three years before separation, when many service members are already exploring and training for their next move.

Why it matters: - Roughly 500,000 service members are within six months to three years of leaving the military, and many are deciding what comes next during that window. - Redeployable says employers that wait until the final months of service are missing a major talent pipeline at a time when 69% of U.S. employers say they struggle to find talent. - The report argues earlier outreach could help employers reach people before career choices harden and before benefits-funded training is already underway.

What happened: - Redeployable released its Mission-Critical, Hiring Late report on November 11, 2026. - The report says only six of 60 large U.S. employers meaningfully engage service members before their final six months in uniform. - Redeployable based the report on data from more than 3,200 U.S. service members and veterans on the platform, plus a review of large employers’ military hiring practices. - The company reviewed what each employer offers people one to three years from leaving the military, before they apply.

The details: - More than half of service members on Redeployable arrive six months or more before leaving the military, and a quarter arrive a year or more out. - Service members have time and money available to upskill while still serving. - Employers with the greatest talent needs are already recruiting for 2028, plan years ahead, and will engage people who are not ready to apply yet. - The report says the fix is a one-to-three-year relationship that shows people the work early, points them to training their benefits can pay for, and tracks progress until they apply. - Executive Order 14426, signed September 8, 2026, directed the Transition Assistance Program to connect people leaving the military with “specific, open jobs.” - 43% of post-9/11 veterans say they are underemployed three years after leaving the military, according to Penn State’s Journal of Veterans Studies in 2024. - About $13 billion a year goes to 45 federal transition programs, almost all focused on school and retraining, and RAND found “virtually no evidence” that any of them directly help people get jobs. - The report says 13% of employers have a formal veteran hiring program, 23% have an informal one, and 64% have none, citing SHRM 2024. - The report cites McKinsey HR Monitor 2025 for the finding that 12% of U.S. HR leaders plan their workforce three or more years ahead. - The report cites SHRM 2025 for a median time to fill a role of 44 days. - Redeployable co-founder and COO Brittany Belt said the report looks at how and when veterans choose a career, not just how fast they find a job after leaving the military. - Belt said 29% of the simulations people tried outside their military specialty came back as a good fit or better.

Between the lines: - The report frames veteran hiring as a timing problem, not just a sourcing problem. - Employers tend to recruit against open requisitions, while service members who will be ready in 18 months often do not yet have one. - Redeployable is betting that early exposure to jobs and simulations can move service members toward roles that better match their skills. - The company’s focus on simulations suggests employers may be overlooking candidates who can transition into technical and operational work outside their current military specialty.

What's next: - Redeployable says the report closes with a 90-day plan for employers that want to reach service members earlier. - The full report is available as the full report. - Redeployable says the key question is whose roles service members are training for now, not whether they are already preparing for civilian work. - Redeployable continues positioning itself as a hiring platform for industrial employers in defense, energy, construction, advanced manufacturing, logistics and related sectors.