SUPERMARKET giant Tesco is the top employer of ex-troops, a jobs market survey has found.

The new data indicates that many former soldiers end up in low-skilled and mundane jobs when they leave the armed forces.

The findings are an embarrassment to the Ministry of Defence (MoD), which says soldiers gain highly desirable skills while serving in the army.

In fact the most common occupation for veterans turns out to be lorry-driving, followed closely by warehouse work and labouring.

Many others end up working in customer service, cleaning and security.

The major supermarkets chains Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury’s are among the top 10 employers of veterans.

Public-sector employers like the NHS, MoD and Royal Mail also featured highly, alongside corporate behemoths BAE, G4S, McDonald’s and Serco.

The survey was conducted by employment website Indeed, which claims to have analysed the career paths of thousands of veterans as they make the transition from military to civilian life.

Indeed executive Bill Richards commented: “Former soldiers have traditionally been prized by employers for their discipline, work ethic and problem-solving ability.

“Coveted skills like these stand out to employers competing for staff in a tight labour market.”

However RAF veteran Jonathan Williams was less impressed with the results.

He told the Morning Star: “Soldiers are trained to shut up and do as they are told — which is something that bosses like.”

Mr Williams said it was “most striking” that the MoD was only 10th on the list, although the department used to employ old sergeants to maintain barracks.

“There used to be whole raft of jobs that were in-house that the MoD has now contracted out to private firms with less job security,” he said.