Veterans comprised 44 percent of full-time hires in the federal government in fiscal 2015, according to a report released by the Office of Personnel Management.
Disabled veterans have particularly benefited, as they made up 43 percent of veteran hires overall. One in four disabled veterans who was working were employed by the federal government, according to the report.
The high percentage of veteran hires was part of the Obama administration's commitment it made in 2009 to give veterans preference in job openings in the federal government, where there is generally a long hiring queue, The Washington Post reports.
Since the president made that pledge seven years ago, particularly to those who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan, the percentage of full-time, permanent jobs going to veterans has been steady at about 45 percent.
The program has been the government's most visible effort to reward military service since the draft ended in the 1970s.
The Military Times reports that veterans now make up almost one-third of the federal workforce overall, which is up 5 percentage points since Obama started the program.
In raw numbers this means that more than 623,000 veterans are working in civilian federal positions, which is 31 percent of the 2 million individuals working in those jobs.
However, the Post reports that the program has caused culture clashes in some federal offices, as it has been challenging in some places to find the right fit for veterans who often have different jobs skills than their colleagues.
According to the data, the largest share of veterans found work at the Air Force, where they made up 62.1 percent of new employees in fiscal 2015.
The impact of the program, however, goes well beyond military-related departments, as veterans were 55 percent of new hires at the Transportation Department in 2015, 39 percent at the Social Security Administration, 46 percent at the State Department and 39 percent at the Labor Department.