Thousands join Army to escape recession

Deborah Haynes writes for The Times :

The Army is nearing full strength for the first time in a generation as the recession is prompting thousands of young people to sign up.

Recruitment rose by 14 per cent in the six months to March 31 compared with a year earlier. It is expected to reach full strength in 2011 after years in which it struggled to win recruits.

There are also fewer people leaving. The number who quit the Armed Forces in 2008 dropped by 8.3 per cent year on year as fear of competing in a shrinking civilian jobs market persuaded more to stay on.

The figures come despite a rising death toll in Afghanistan where four more British Service personnel, including one Gurkha, were killed on Thursday, the deadliest day in almost a year.

Recruitment officers said that, far from deterring the young, the chance of deployment to the front line was an incentive for those keen for a slice of the action. They also noted that many army jobs, such as plumbers and barbers, had nothing to do with combat.

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