In the wake of the over 9,500 potential USAID redundancies — and thousands more by implementing partners — many affected will turn to consulting as a means of staying and earning in the sector, say development career experts. The result, however, could be an oversaturated development consultancy market, and likely a subsequent lowering of market rates, with ramifications for remaining sector employees as well, they add.
“A big trend I see happening is the shift from full-time employment in the aid sector through USAID, through an implementer, to what is traditionally called a portfolio career where people have a number of different projects and contracts that they cobble together,” said Nick Martin, CEO of social enterprise TechChange, which provides online professional development in technology and social change. “That will be a new version of what a 40-hour work week looks like.”
According to the USAID Stop Work site, over 170,000 jobs have been lost globally in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement in January to freeze aid funding and cut the majority of support to programs. Over 50,000 of those jobs are in the U.S.