Devex Career Hub: The megatrends shaping global development

This week, Bart Édes from McGill University’s Institute for the Study of International Development talks about how the landscape of international development is being transformed by powerful trends and drivers of change. He discusses the “megatrends,” as identified in a 2022 study by Australia’s national science agency, or CSIRO, and how they can help discern plausible areas of job growth over the next decade.

“Traditionally, careers in development have been associated with fields such as economics, public health, and humanitarian aid. However, there is a growing recognition of the need for a diverse array of skills to address complex development challenges effectively,” said Édes, who is professor of practice at McGill.

In this edition of Career Hub, I’m sharing what Women Deliver’s President and CEO Maliha Khan thinks the development sector can do better to address what she calls a “near silence on sexual orientation.” Plus, featured job postings from the likes of Columbia University, DAI, and more.

+ Join us on April 17: Our next event for Devex Career Account members features insights from career expert Simone Anzböck about how to network when you hate networking. Not yet a member? You can try it out with a free 15-day trial to access all career advice events and articles, our complete job board, and much more.

Top jobs this week

1. Project Officer
   Columbia University
   United States
   

2. Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Specialist
   DAI
   West Africa
   

3. First Nations Lead
   DT Global
   Australia
   

4. Communications Officer
   City Cancer Challenge
   United Kingdom | Eastern Europe | Western Europe | Switzerland 

+ See the full list

How ‘megatrends’ will shape the future of global development jobs

The world of development is shifting, and with it, the sector’s employment needs are changing too. Bart Édes, a professor of practice at McGill University, has examined some of the megatrends affecting organizations and explained how they will likely change the development sectors’ hiring needs and practices. Here are his conclusions:

More jobs will have a climate component. The growing focus on climate will have a couple of main impacts, Édes predicts. First, it will favor those with skills in climate-related disciplines, such as environment, energy, and infrastructure. And second, it will favor innovators, who can adapt to a rapidly changing planet.

Digital transformation and tech-savvy problem-solving. Édes explains that the integration of technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, and the Internet of Things in various sectors will create opportunities for specialists in digital literacy, data analytics, and AI solutions. This shift also emphasizes the importance of ethical considerations in technology deployment, driving demand for experts in governance, transparency, and accountability.

Interdisciplinary skills. In the face of geopolitical shifts, Édes says demand will rise for interdisciplinary professionals skilled in conflict resolution, humanitarian response, and gender-sensitive programming. Knowledge of technology, data analytics, environmental science, and cross-cultural communication will be increasingly sought after to address complex development challenges.

Read: How ‘megatrends’ will shape the future of global development jobs (Career)

Explore more: The top global development consulting employers (Career)

Opinion: As a gay leader, I urge our development sector to do better

Maliha Khan, president and CEO at Women Deliver, talks about the need for the development sector to improve its approach in addressing “the near silence on sexual orientation both internally as organizations and in our external work.” She underscores several steps to achieve this goal:

Protective policies. Khan emphasizes that diversity, equity, and inclusion, or DEI, initiatives and policies are essential, but creating an environment where individuals can show up fully requires more than policy changes.

Beyond performative actions. Shifting workplace culture involves more than just box-checking; Khan says it requires making conscious choices to integrate LGBTQ+ issues and visibility into the fabric of an organization.

Safety as a top priority. The safety of staff members that belong to gender and sexual minorities needs to be treated with equal importance to that of all other team members, which means more proactivity, Khan says.

Representation matters. Khan explains that the sector needs to create space for LGBTQ+ leaders who “live, breathe, and understand what empathetic and inclusive change looks like.”

Read: Opinion: As a gay leader, I urge our development sector to do better

Explore more: Skills for SDG 5: Achieving gender equality (Career)

Members-only jobs this week

1. Talent Management Officer
Investment bank
Luxembourg

2. Chief Information Security Officer Intergovernmental organization
Austria

3. Digital Communication Specialist
United Nations agency
Worldwide 

4. Project Coordinator: WASH and Infrastructure
Nonprofit organization
Morocco

+ See the full list

Ask an expert

You have questions, Career Hub has answers, thanks to Devex’s network of expert job coaches and other experts. The following question and response occurred during a digital event and have been edited for length and clarity.

How do I talk about career gaps that are several years in length?

I think career gaps aren’t as big of a deal as a lot of job seekers think. I would say six years or longer can be a bit of a question depending on how much your industry or subsector has changed. But for people that have been out of the workforce for three years, four years, we’re used to seeing this. People take time off for child care or to take care of an aging or passing parent. There are a lot of reasons why someone might take time off, or simply to just take time off to figure out what you want to do with your career.

We’re used to hearing about these things. So I would say don’t shy away from that. What I ended up doing with my résumé when I went to grad school was putting a line that said I attended graduate school full time from these years.

It’s up to you whether or not you want to disclose why you took that time off. You don’t have to. I’ve heard people in interviews say they took some time off to deal with a personal family matter. And you know, that was sufficient. Recruiters and hiring managers care about if you’re qualified and can do the job.

Watch: How to identify target employers (Career) | Find Stephanie on LinkedIn

More reading: How to prepare for your next global development job interview

Have a career development question? You can email Devex’s careers team directly.

Around the watercooler

News and views from around global development worth knowing about.

• Climate adaptation finance must double by 2025. With less than a year to go to meet the Glasgow Climate Pact commitment to double the amount of climate change adaptation finance - what needs to happen?

• Heat exposure doubles the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. Research from India finds that working in extreme temperatures more than doubles the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, including miscarriage, stillbirth, and low birth weight. 

• How seven deaths changed aid work in Gaza. The number of aid workers killed in Gaza has been ticking up for months. But after the strike on seven World Central Kitchen staff members, the death toll seems to have struck a new chord.

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