More vets were employed by the federal executive branch in 2016 than 2015, though they earned less than employees with no military service, according to data released by the Office of Personnel Management.

OPM’s FY2016 “Employment of Veterans in the Federal Executive Branch” report counted more than 71,000 veterans entering the civil service, up 11,511 from FY2015. The additions bring the total number of veterans working in the federal government to 635,266, according to an OPM news release.

Pay for veterans in the federal government continues to lag behind non-veterans. Basic pay for veterans averaged $74,327 in 2015, versus $85,187 for non-veterans. In 2016, pay for veterans rose to $75,707, which was still less than the $86,647 for non-veterans. The average GS grade for veterans in 2015 and 2016 remained at 10.2, lower than the average GS 10.5 grade for non-veterans.

OPM has been publishing data on veteran employment since 2009, when the Obama administration’s Executive Order 13518 established the Veterans Employment Initiative.

“Veterans now represent approximately one-third (31.1 percent) of the total U.S. federal workforce, marking a five percentage point rise since the initiative was implemented in 2009,” OPM said. “The retention rates for veterans are encouraging as well, with many agencies retaining newly hired veterans at rates near those of their non-veteran employees.”

The VEI is governed by an interagency Council on Veterans Employment, comprised of the federal government’s 24 largest departments and agencies. The Council is co-chaired by the secretaries of Labor and Veterans Affairs, with the director of OPM serving as vice-chair.

“OPM’s critical leadership role on the Council has steadied the direction and strength of this initiative,” said acting OPM Director Kathleen McGettigan. “The Veterans Employment Initiative in FY 2016 has achieved great success and I look forward to the strong collaboration of Council members and its Steering Committee for continued success in the return on investment of hiring our nation’s veterans as we move forward.”

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