How will the next generation get into the global development industry?

The long-used pathways into global development work are having what some see as an unprecedented shake-up. Internships and training programs are being scaled back due to job freezes, artificial intelligence is able to take on much of the work normally handed off to entry-level hires, and NGOs are making an effort to hire more from the global south. What does that mean for those hoping to break into the industry — and who is well-placed to do so? Katherine Raphaelson, president of the U.S. chapter of the global Society for International Development network, said that the vast majority of her organization’s members have been impacted by this year’s budget cuts, and almost all internship programs have been put on hold, including SID-US’s own program. Many organizations remain in crisis mode and have yet to shift their focus toward rebuilding future talent pipelines, she added. Devex spoke with experts across the sector to understand how Generation Z and Alpha’s global development and aid professionals might follow a different path from those of the past. Shrinking pipelines For Craig Zelizer, founder and CEO of Peace and Collaborative Development Network, traditional talent pipelines across areas such as global health and economic opportunity are disappearing, as larger U.S.-based NGOs put internship programs on hold and the future of others funded directly by federal agencies remains uncertain. Mercy Corps and Catholic Relief Services are among those that have paused their internship programs, spokespeople confirmed to Devex. But organizations that haven’t been directly affected by the aid cuts still offer early-career opportunities. The Rockefeller Foundation announced that details for its 2026 summer associate program will be published later this year, while the U.K. section of Médecins Sans Frontières confirmed it will continue recruiting at typical levels for internship and entry-level roles. In an email to Devex, Patrick McConnell, deputy head of HR at MSF UK, said the organization’s funding model “insulates much of our operations from aid industry funding variations, allowing us to continue to respond to humanitarian crises around the world while others are dependent on institutional donors.” However, McConnell also noted that MSF prioritizes hiring local staff, who make up nearly 90% of its workforce. And vitally, the Peace Corps continues to recruit for overseas assignments, despite the organization feeling some impact from the dissolution of the U.S. Agency for International Development, said Julie Burns, who served as the organization’s acting chief of staff until recently. Recent events won’t “dramatically reduce” the number of assignments, she explained, as these are developed based on partner needs and funded by multiple agencies beyond USAID. “It does change the nature of the work and the partner level at which the volunteer would work,” she added, “but it’s not an adaptation we can’t handle.” Burns is also optimistic that the training and on-the-ground exposure volunteers receive will help ensure career opportunities after service, including roles overseas with international partners’ funding projects or with local NGOs. Private sector pathways Steven Radelet, distinguished professor of the practice of development at Georgetown University’s Global Human Development Program, suggested that early-career professionals can turn to the private sector to find relevant opportunities in areas such as impact investing, clean energy, water, or health. “A lot of people who are interested in development work don’t naturally think about the private sector, but there are a lot of private companies doing great work,” Radelet said. “They’re still hiring, and they have plenty of people with business skills [but] what they need are people with [global] development skills,” he added, noting monitoring and evaluation as expertise that would be relevant. Raphaelson said that the private sector can provide valuable experience and lead to “stronger employees in the humanitarian field.” She isn’t worried about losing talent to the private sector in the long term, hoping instead that passionate professionals will return to global development with valuable skills, expertise, and ideas. AI’s impact Some entry-level jobs may also start to disappear as a result of AI innovations — although this is not unique to global development, said Zelizer, who has been researching the intersection between AI and peacebuilding. He suggested that proposal writing, fundraising, and program reporting are among the roles that may be affected, but he believes significant human oversight will still be required for these tasks. According to Ali Al Mokdad, a senior strategic humanitarian leader who trains development organizations on AI’s impact in the sector, the effect on early-career opportunities will vary based on an organization’s type, size, and regional location. AI is unlikely to significantly affect entry-level roles before the end of 2026, he said, although the use of generative AI, automation, and Power Apps will increase during this time. Mokdad expects major changes to begin from 2027 onward, estimating that 5%-10% of administrative tasks could disappear by then. Looking ahead, entry-level roles will demand new skill sets, including a stronger understanding of data, AI tools, and how to collaborate with AI agents, he said. And, while new roles may emerge in information technology, other functions are more likely to be redefined, he added. Expanding local roles So far, the localization movement has been largely talk, according to Tushar Talukdar, Bond’s locally led adviser. Before its dismantling, USAID reported that just over 11% of eligible funding went to local organizations in 2024. But, in his opinion, one thing is changing: The model of recent graduates doing a year overseas to gain experience in a low- or middle-income country context is a thing of the past. “There is this romanticism about Global South experiences … that needs to be avoided,” he said. The expertise of early-career professionals from the global north is not required, he said, as there are a lot of fresh graduates in those regions who are equipped to work with their national governments and shape the countries’ development routes. And those same professionals don’t need to go to the global south to gain development-relevant experience, Talukdar continued. There are opportunities for them to address issues in their own communities, such as homelessness and racism, and through these experiences gain insights into human behavior, causes, and systemic gaps. Mentorship and networks Mokdad emphasized the growing importance of social capital and networking in an increasingly competitive job market. Echoing this, Georgetown’s Radelet urged senior professionals to make themselves available to talk through career options with younger talent and to think broadly about how they can offer support. “If you’ve got people working in state and local government, the private sector, or foundations, see if you can connect [students and jobseekers] to organizations that are actually hiring,” he said.