Last year was a tough one for the global development sector and anyone looking for a job in it. According to Devex’s job board, the number of roles advertised fell to around 60,000, down about 27% compared to 2024.
A report published today exclusively for Devex Career members highlights the very different recruitment trends that played out across different employers throughout 2025.
Grappling with huge funding cuts from the United States, which provided around a quarter of all United Nations funding, hiring fell dramatically at many of the big U.N. agencies that had for years been the leading single source of roles in global development. But even with fewer jobs on offer, U.N. agencies still dominated the top 10 global development employer rankings, with six placements. Three of the remaining spots went to multilateral development banks, and one to the Danish Refugee Council.
The bilateral donor sector also shifted rapidly in 2025, marked in part by the sudden absence of hiring by the U.S. Agency for International Development, long one of the top bilateral employers. The absence of funding from the U.S. agency, as well as reductions from other major donors, also impacted international NGOs, causing many to at least temporarily pause recruitment. Those with other sources of revenue aside from national government funding have been better able to weather the storm.
Among the hardest-hit sectors were development consultancy firms. Just look at Chemonics — 2024’s most prolific job poster among consulting firms, which had historically held major supply chain contracts from USAID. In 2024, it advertised 847 jobs, predominantly in the United States, but just 67 last year.
Perhaps surprisingly, the United States remained a popular location for consulting jobs in 2025, followed by India, Indonesia, and the Philippines. The highest-paying jobs overall, meanwhile, were based in New Zealand, the United States, Nepal, and Saudi Arabia.
While other sectors faced challenges, though, hiring across MDBs remained relatively unaffected. The top employer of 2025 was the Asian Development Bank, which posted 4,561 jobs throughout the year, only a slight decrease from the previous year. It was followed by the World Bank Group.
Download the full report here.
About the author
Emma Smith
For four years, Emma Smith covered careers and recruitment, among other topics, for Devex. She now freelances for Devex and has a special interest in mental health, immigration, and sexual and reproductive health. She holds a degree in journalism from Glasgow Caledonian University and a master’s in media and international conflict.
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