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From Barracks to the Labor Market: How Military Identity Shapes Veteran Employment Stability in China

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Veteran social reintegration is a growing policy concern, yet existing research has focused mainly on institutional support while giving less attention to veterans’ psychological and social resources. Using 2023 survey data from veterans in nine Chinese provinces, this study examines the association between military identity and employment stability. Ordered logit and multinomial logit models are employed, together with a conditional mixed process model, to partially alleviate endogeneity concerns. The results show that stronger military identity is significantly associated with a higher likelihood of stable employment. Mechanism analyses indicate that military identity is linked to more positive future outlooks, stronger perceived transferability of military-acquired skills, and more active comrade network maintenance, which are also associated with employment stability. Heterogeneity analyses show that the association is stronger among rural veterans, those without resettlement benefits, and younger cohorts. The findings highlight identity-based career resources as an important dimension of veteran employment support.

Source: Armed Forces & Society

DOI: 10.1177/0095327x261474081

Authors: Qiuyue Zhang, Yi Wang, Yili Lin, Yu Cao, Wenxin Deng, Lingling Zhao

Institutions: Beijing University of Technology, Guangdong Polytechnic Normal University, Renmin University of China

Language: English

Topic: Education and Military Integration

Subfield: Education

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Decent work and economic growth

Open Access status: bronze

Funders: Guangdong Polytechnic Normal University, National Social Science Fund of China