After a noticeable decline in global development assistance in 2024, followed by an unprecedented drop in aid budgets and the USAID shutdown in 2025, the slowdown in the employment market has come as no surprise.
The reduced funding resulted in fewer projects and, inevitably, fewer open roles.
An analysis by DevelopmentAid.org – the world’s largest database of international development information – indicates that the number of open vacancies for aid sector professionals dropped by nearly 22.5% from over 138,000 to 106,000 in 2025.
This decrease is mirrored by shifting labor demand patterns. Under pressure, donors increasingly require project managers, monitoring and evaluation specialists, and auditors, while the demand for macro-economists, statisticians, and public fiscal management specialists has declined.
Our analysis identifies the 2025 development industry hotspots and the sectors that continue to seek experts despite tighter funding.
Latest job data from DevelopmentAid
As development finance flows continue to evolve, the way aid is delivered and the labor market in the development sector are also changing.
At DevelopmentAid.org, we analyzed and structured our exclusive data on the 106,875 job posts registered on the platform in 2025 to identify the development sectors with the highest number of job opportunities over the year.
Our insights are based on verified data from donors and implementing partners across the global development landscape.
Out of 53 sectors listed on our database, the top 10 accounted for nearly 93,000 vacancies.
Top sectors by the number of job postings on the DevelopmentAid database in 2025
*Please note that the job opportunities listed by sector may be double-counted because many complex positions are cross-listed under two or more relevant sectors. This is also applicable to the total number of jobs by region as some positions are counted across multiple regions.
Now let’s break down each of the top 10 sectors by region.
1. Sector: Project Management, Monitoring and Evaluation
Number of jobs posted in 2025: 25,996
These two correlated sectors encompass planning, executing, and managing projects in a variety of industries, including development, NGOs, government, and business.
The highest number of jobs was registered in the Asian region, followed by Africa and Northern America.
Among the thousands of open positions, organizations sought Research Analysts, Monitoring and Evaluation Specialists, Quality Assurance Experts, and Regional Directors.
In 2025, the DevelopmentAid database featured almost 26,000 jobs in the Project Management, Monitoring and Evaluation sectors posted by numerous well-known organizations, including:
The Global Fund – a worldwide partnership that aims to tackle deadly diseases such as AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.
The Palladium Group – a major implementer of global development initiatives.
SGS Netherlands – a leading company focusing on testing, inspection, and certification.
2. Sector: Financial Services and Audit
Number of jobs posted in 2025: 12,395
In the Financial Services and Audit sector, over one-third of the total demand of 12,300 job announcements posted on Developmentaid.org came from Asia, followed by Africa with nearly 3,000 postings.
Some of the positions in this sector include Heads of Finance, Financial Management Experts, and Procurement Experts.
DevelopmentAid members could access jobs posted by well-known organizations in the financial sector, such as:
KPMG – a London-based global network of professional companies offering audit, tax, and advisory services.
Global Green Growth Institute – an international, intergovernmental organization headquartered in Seoul, South Korea.
3. Sector: Health
Number of jobs posted in 2025: 9,993
According to our database, the majority of job postings in this sector in 2025 were concentrated in Asia and Africa. These opportunities were posted by a diverse range of organizations, varying in size, scope, and operational complexity.
Apart from behemoths such as the Palladium Group and KPMG, there were other notable organizations, including:
UK-Med – a British medical, and humanitarian organization.
Integrated Business & Technical Consultants (IBTCI) – a US-based organization that offers monitoring and evaluation services on a global scale.
management4health –a partnership of international health sector experts, headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
4. Sector: Environment and Climate
Number of jobs posted in 2025: 9,244
Over 9,200 job openings in the Environment and Climate sector were available on the DevelopmentAid platform in 2025.
Organizations working in this sector were seeking a variety of experts, including:
- Principal Consultants for projects in infrastructure sectors such as water, waste, and transport.
- Team Leaders and Sectoral Project Managers to assist teams with sub-project administration.
- Climate Change Specialists.
- International Short-Term Experts.
Among the many organizations on our platform, job openings were posted by some leading institutions such as the World Wildlife Fund and the United Nations Office for Project Services, together with numerous other reputable organizations, such as:
DEM – Desarrollo Multilateral, SL – a European consulting organization, based in Madrid, Spain, that has solid project implementation experience in Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa.
GFA Consulting Group HQE Co. Ltd – a major European consulting firm specializing in international development cooperation, headquartered in Hamburg, Germany.
DAI Brussels SRL – a professional services and advisory company based in Belgium
5. Sector: Fundraising and Grant Management
Number of jobs posted in 2025: 8,086
This sector was one of the most popular, featuring over 8,000 job announcements with most being in Northern America, followed by non-EU nations on the European continent.
Organizations listed job openings for a range of specialists, including Partnership Managers, Grants Officers, Regional Program Development Officers, Operations Managers, and Business Development Experts.
Jobs were posted by numerous companies of varying caliber but with each representing equal value for the development sector. These include:
GROUPE SOS – a large Paris-based non-profit organization that focuses on societal needs in a number of sectors, including youth, employment, health, and the elderly.
CIVICUS – a global alliance of civil society organizations and activists, based in Johannesburg, South Africa.
CTG Global UAE – Dubai-based specialized people solutions provider offering services for development and humanitarian operations.
6. Sector: Marketing and Media
Number of jobs posted in 2025: 7,859
In 2025, our platform was home to around 7,800 Marketing and Media vacancies, mostly in Asia, Africa, non-EU European countries, and Northern America.
From the wide range of vacancies posted by reputable organizations in 2025, opportunities included roles such as Team Leaders, Research Experts, Marketing and Communications Strategists, Communications Officers, Research & Business Development Managers, and Graphic Design Consultants.
Desarrollo Multilateral SL (DEM) was among the most active organizations on our platform, along with CIVICUS, Cowater International Inc., European Profiles S.A., and the Global Green Growth Institute.
7. Sector: Education, Training, and Capacity Building
Number of jobs posted in 2025: 7,386
In 2025, the ‘Knowledge’ sector recorded nearly 7,400 job postings on the DevelopmentAid platform. Asia emerged as the leading region, followed by Africa, while the EU27, non-EU Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Northern America each accounted for around the same number of opportunities. Note that Oceania registered 173 job postings, underscoring the truly global reach of the DevelopmentAid platform.
Among the thousands of open vacancies, available positions included Education and Skills Specialists, Consultants for funding strategies, Experts in sustainable agriculture practices, Monitoring, Evaluation, and Research and Learning (MERL) Associates.
As well as Desarrollo Multilateral, SL (DEM), Cowater International Inc., and Plan UK, among other organizations posting jobs were:
Ginger SOFRECO – a French engineering and consulting company focusing on international development cooperation.
The Education Development Center – a U.S.-based global non-profit organization that focuses on improving education, health, and growing economic opportunity.
International Rescue Committee (IRC) – a humanitarian aid, relief, and development NGO with a worldwide reach.
8. Sector: Disaster Reduction and Humanitarian Relief
Number of jobs posted in 2025: 6,770
The number of job posts in the Disaster Reduction and Humanitarian Relief sector in 2025 reached 6,770, with Asia and Africa being by far the leading regions, with 2,631 and 2,037 vacancies, respectively.
Some of the jobs listed on our platform included Child Protection Specialists, Legal and Policy Advisers, Primary Care/General Practice Nurses, and Trauma Surgeons.
Aside from jobs posted by well-known organizations such as UK-Med, the UN, Humanitarian Impact Institute, Danish Refugee Council, and International Rescue Committee, vacancies were also offered from other organizations such as:
Geneva Call – a neutral and independent humanitarian organization.
Social Impact – the U.S.-based global development management consulting company.
Malteser International – a global relief agency of the Order of Malta.
9. Sector: Gender and Human Rights
Number of jobs posted in 2025: 6,707
In this sector, more than 6,700 open positions were published on our platform last year, with over 2,500 roles available in Asia, followed by Africa with more than 1,600 vacancies.
Organizations were seeking professionals for roles such as Child Protection Specialists, Monitoring and Evaluation Specialists, Legal Advisers, and Polio Eradication Coordinators.
Among the numerous organizations registered on Developmentaid.org, CTG Global UAE, the International Commission of Jurists Switzerland (ICJ), European Profiles S.A., Yooshin Engineering Corporation, CIVICUS, and The Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund were seeking experts in the Gender and Human Rights sector.
10. Sector: Administration
Number of jobs posted in 2025: 4,656
In 2025, our database had over 4,600 jobs in the Administration sector, most of which were in the Asian and African regions, followed by Europe and Latin America.
Organizations were in search of candidates for positions such as Project Administrators, Procurement Associates, Junior Technical Coordinators, Heads of Administration and Finance, and Civil Peace Service Advisors.
Among the numerous organizations, DevelopmentAid members could apply for jobs at Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), United Nations Office for Project Services, Global Green Growth Institute, and UNICEF.
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