Industry Trends in Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) Recruiting

Oct 16

As a result of the unique demands put upon its personnel, The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) truly is an employer like no other. Joining the military is a lifestyle change, not just for the member, but for their whole family. It involves extensive training and absences, rigorous employment environments, and frequently, multiple family re-locations nationally and internationally over the course of a member’s career.

The Canadian military is also under constant, merciless scrutiny - by political leaders, news agencies, policy makers and analysts, the public, and even its own members. Over the last few years, there have been numerous reports on staffing shortages and the stressors it has put on operational capacities to maintain national and international security:

Subsequently, there has been intense examination of CAF Recruiting at all levels. Even the Minister of National Defence has weighed in:

These are strong words that have generated a lot of discussion. It has also spurred a relentless drive to “do something” to create change in Recruiting and see more personnel enrolled into the CAF.

~ Trends in CAF Recruiting ~

The Chief of Military Personnel (CMP) is responsible for those tasks that will achieve ‘Reconstitution’ of the CAF through Recruitment and Retention. Each issue is in close relationship with the other, and both impact our personnel who work in Recruiting. I recommend reading this article as a great summary; it has a lot of detail on what efforts are being made.

Recruiting

These trends have included attention to coordinated branding and advertising to increase public awareness and appeal of the CAF as a potential employer of choice, improved diversity through targeted engagement efforts to increase representation in under-represented and Indigenous groups, attention to Indigenous relations and responsibilities, and ongoing efforts in the digitization, streamlining and redesigning of the recruitment process.

Retention

These trends have focused on improvements to overall pay and benefits, professional conduct and culture change, and coming up with solutions for elements of dissatisfaction that may be leading to members to release from the CAF. There is a lot of conversation about improving leadership, improving communications and flexibility, and better understanding and responding to employee needs, especially as diverse groups. These are all important factors in efforts to attract new people to the CAF as well.

*Canadian Armed Forces Facebook page, October 7, 2024*

~ Changes in CAF Recruiting ~

Well, this is hard to define, because the quick and easy answer is everything. At every level, every process, every mandate and requirement is being put under detailed examination. Is it valid? Is it necessary? Can or should it be done differently? Nothing is sacrosanct, and everything is subject to questions. There are a number of significant reports that have made change recommendations, and the CAF has committed to make those changes. Some of the most relevant and recent include:

The CDS/DM Directive for CAF Reconstitution, 06 October 2022
The Independent External Comprehensive Review of the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces by the Honourable Louise Arbour, C.C., G.OQ., 20 May 2022
The Deloitte Recruitment Insights (MPGG) Final Report, December 2021

Currently, there is also another study of CAF Recruiting underway through an independent consulting organization.

~ What’s new in CAF Recruiting ~

Again, there is so, so much, but here are a few of the major initiatives::

Until 2017, the Canadian Forces Recruiting Centres (CFRC’s) were responsible for all CAF Recruiting. Since 2017 the Army, Navy, and Cadet Organizations Administration and Training Service (COATS) have all taken over their own Recruiting in the Primary Reserves.
In December 2022, the Minister of National Defence announced that Permanent Residents to Canada were welcome to apply for and join the CAF. This has since resulted in partnership with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to process applications on a priority basis.
In March 2023, the Naval Employment Program was introduced, offering a 1 year experience as a general sailor It was designed for candidates to try out life in the Navy and see if it is something they might consider as a career.
In March 2024, applicants were given the option to defer their Canadian Forces Aptitude Test (CFAT) for select trades. As of August 2024, additional changes to CFAT requirements are being implemented.

Each of these initiatives has had a significant impact to processes within the Recruiting Centre, calling for high levels of analysis, change management, cooperative efforts within and outside of our organization, and most of all flexibility.

~ The ‘So What?’ How trends will impact the way I instruct ~

I am a …seasoned? experienced? old? …member of the CAF. I’m fine with old - it’s a privilege denied to many. Many teaching methodologies I experienced in my early years are no longer appropriate in today’s environment. I think that’s the most significant implication behind the various trends discussed here. I cannot envision a military without a strong, hierarchical command structure, and it will always be a learning culture. However, in alignment with the Continuing Education at McMaster University article on In-Demand Skills Essential for Success in 2024, the most valued skills are those that involve working well with people. How we interact with people is changing, and that impacts how we teach. Even in the military.

The authoritarian, top-down power structure is no longer 100% suitable to today’s learning environment. Don’t get me wrong - I am not soft on obedience to the word of command. However, training programs at all levels are under examination, with attention to optimizing the learning environment for students, to ensure content currency, to examine if technological options are being fully exploited, to see if alternatives to in-person requirements are appropriate, and to evaluate the possibilities of on-the-job versus formal training.

At my level, I am training the leadership within Recruiting. I need to equip my staff with skills like:

*Canadian Forces Recruiting Centre Pacific leadership, March 2024*

Lead by being the kind of leader they would want to follow
Use open and honest two-way communications that demonstrate mutual respect, trust and value. Employ active listening techniques and scheduled sessions with staff, react appropriately to information given, and provide feedback loops to keep everyone informed
Develop and hone a personal toolbox of ‘soft skills’
Have a good understanding of accountability, discipline and punishment, and understanding when each is appropriate. Have the knowledge and moral courage to skillfully deploy these concepts for themselves, and their subordinates, and to hold the leadership they report to accountable
Build and participate in teams
Utilize strategic thinking that considers holistic impacts of their planning and management, and that aligns with direction from higher
Be resilient to and embrace change, so that they become change leaders

~ How I will prepare for these Trends ~

If I am going to train staff in these skills; I need to ensure I have the skills desirable in a leader so that I can mentor and pass them on to others. Hey, maybe I could take a local college course in adult education (I know, I’m awful). Anyway, I need to ensure I am setting the example by making space for my own training. I also need to ensure that I am familiar with the many directives, policies and documents, so that I can apply and share concepts as appropriate.

We are busy, busy people in Recruiting. However, I cannot let my peoples’ skills deteriorate, and I need to foster an ongoing environment of learning. That means programming formal training qualifications into operations planning and holding the requisite funds in the budget. It also means programming informal training in operations planning, appointing different representatives to lead professional development sessions, and putting dates into the schedule. It means setting up an informal mentorship program, ‘buddying up’ senior with junior staff. It means scheduling and leading teamwork workshops, especially within the command teams that are responsible directly to me. It means bringing in guest speakers and educating our staff on the various conflict and complaint management services, personnel services, grievance processes, ombudsman, and other resources available to them. It also means showing the leaders who report to me how to do the same within their own organizations. Then, I need to take a step back, and ensure that I have not over-programmed our people beyond reasonable capacities. I may need to acknowledge that some things are going to have to happen next month instead of now.

Overall, I need to lead our people in making management decisions that consider and accommodate employee needs and wants wherever possible. Recruiting needs to integrate a people focus and people skills throughout the work environment. This matters when our staff provide customer service to the public, and when we manage our own staff.

The other piece that I feel is important is to educate up as well as down. My leaders cannot make effective decisions in Recruiting if I do not inform them what we need within a Recruiting centre. So, when there is an issue, I will collect and use data and information to educate my higher command what we are doing, and give them the information on how they can support us.

I could write for a dangerously long time about all this, so there you have it, as tightly as I can summarize. Nice to chat again, and I will post again soon!

~ Jennifer

Resources:

Continuing Education. (2024, June 13). In-demand skills essential for success in 2024. McMaster University. https://continuing.mcmaster.ca/in-demand-skills-essential-for-success-in-2024/

D’Andrea, A. (2024, March 7). Canada’s military facing ‘death spiral’ on recruitiment, minister says. Global News. https://globalnews.ca/news/10341588/canadian-forces-recruitment-death-spiral/

Dyson, D. (2023, April 5). Canadian Armed Forces facing member shortage “crisis.” Ottawa News. https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/canadian-armed-forces-facing-member-shortage-crisis-1.6344761

Government of Canada. (2023, August 22) Recruitment and retention. National Defence. https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/corporate/reports-publications/proactive-disclosure/secd-april-24-2023/recruitment-retention.html