Nonprofit Hiring Slows in August as Delta Variant Spreads

Nonprofits continued to add jobs in August, but at a slower rate than in the previous two months, according to the Johns Hopkins Center for Civil Society Studies.

Nonprofits added an estimated 42,000 workers in August. The nonprofit workforce ended the month 4.5 percent smaller than it was before the pandemic, equivalent to roughly 565,000 fewer jobs in August than in February 2020.

“August’s jobs data clearly reflected the impact of the rapid increase in Covid-19 cases occasioned by the Delta variant, resulting in a much slower increase in jobs,” reads the report, which uses federal unemployment data to estimate job gains and losses based on the proportion of nonprofit employers in different industries.

Despite the hiring slowdown, the authors estimate the nonprofit field will match its pre-pandemic hiring levels by July 2022, consistent with earlier predictions.

Where Jobs Are Growing

Nonprofit hiring was led by educational groups, which added 28,518 workers in August. Educational-services nonprofits still employ 6.4 percent fewer workers than in February 2020.

Religious charities, grant-making groups, and civic and professional nonprofits added 5,140 workers in August. This broad sector employed 4 percent fewer workers than it did in February 2020.

Arts and entertainment nonprofits added 5,509 workers in August. This field continues to be the hardest hit, with 17.4 percent fewer jobs than before the pandemic.

Not all sectors of the nonprofit economy are growing.

Employment contracted for health care nonprofits, which employed 2,129 fewer people in August. The field is only 1 percent smaller than it was before the pandemic.

Hiring was essentially flat at social-service nonprofits, which added an estimated 123 jobs in August. This field ended August with 4.9 percent fewer jobs than before the pandemic.