Results from the 2021 Armed Forces Continuous Attitude Survey (AFCAS) are now available.
Highlights:
Satisfaction with Service life remains unchanged this year at 45%
A third of personnel are now satisfied with the opportunity to work flexibly
Satisfaction with pay has increased for a second year in a row, to 39%
Pensions:
“Four in ten personnel are satisfied with their pension benefits, up from 3 in 10 last year. A return to levels of satisfaction reported in 2012
The increase in satisfaction in pension benefits is reflected across all the services. Satisfaction amongst Royal Navy, Army, and Royal Air Force personnel are now in line, with pension satisfaction lowest amongst the Royal Marines at 31%”
Our Comments:
There has been an uptick in satisfaction levels since it was made known that the McCloud judgement would allow people to revert to the better of their two choices – “legacy” (AFPS75 or AFPS05) or “reformed” (AFPS15). At 41% satisfaction is now at its highest level since 2012.
What remains slightly alarming, and is a continued challenge for the MoD, is that less than half of serving personnel express satisfaction with what is “probably the best pension scheme in the land”. (Apologies to Danish lager purveyors…)
Our MoD contacts confirm that work to improve communications, will continue with a view to raising pension satisfaction levels still further.
Click here to read the full AFCAS report and supporting papers
