Over the last six decades, the amount of international aid provided by wealthy countries to developing states registered a massive increase from US$39 billion in 1960 to US$223.3 billion in 2023. As the number of recipient countries and sectors benefiting from development assistance grew, more and more technical experts, consultants, and professionals were hired to implement development programs.
According to developmentaid.org, the largest database of international development sector-related information, donors and implementing partners have sought an incredible number of experts and consultants for positions in recent years. In 2024, the number of vacancies posted on the platform reached 138,000.
By undertaking an analysis of job-related announcements on the DevelopmentAid platform, we collected insights into the sectors with the highest number of jobs in 2024.
Of the 85 sectors listed within the database, 17 accounted for over half of all the job postings representing 77,793 vacancies.
In this article, the number of jobs in each sector, classified by region, are analyzed, and information about currently available job openings is provided.
Sectors: Macroeconomy, Statistics and Public Fiscal Management (PFM)
Number of jobs posted in 2024: 18,057
The Macroeconomy, Statistics, and PFM sectors are vital for ensuring long-term economic development and reducing poverty around the world so it is no surprise that there is a high demand for professionals in these areas.
Geographically, in 2024, most vacancies were registered in Africa and Asia, followed by Northern America and the European region.
Many roles were within NGOs, charities, and global organizations such as UN agencies, Save the Children, and the World Bank. Candidates with expertise in finance, strong analytical skills, and proficiency in English being highly sought after in 2024 as they are this year too.
In February 2025, there are more than 800 job openings in these sectors.
* The total number of jobs may differ from the total per continent due to some regional positions being counted across more than one continent.
Sectors: Education, Employment, and Social Development
Number of jobs posted in 2024: 12,517
There is a strong connection between education and employment. Over the last few decades, educational attainment has continued to grow with an increasing number of young people remaining at school for longer.
For example, in 2000, 81.1% of people obtained at least some form of basic education, while 20 years later, in 2020, this figure had increased to nearly 87%, according to OurWorldInData although it should be taken into account that the global population during this time grew from 6.1 billion to 7.8 billion.
Young people in low- and lower-middle-income nations aged between 15 and 29 who boast advanced education are more likely to land a job compared to those who have a basic education, according to the International Labour Organization.
Of all the jobs in the Education, Employment and Social Development sectors listed in 2024 on the DevelopmentAid database, most were in Asia and Africa.
As of February 2025, there are almost 600 job openings in the Education, Employment and Social Development sectors available on developmentaid.org.
Sectors: Telecommunication and Information Technologies
Number of jobs posted in 2024: 11,006
The two interlinked sectors of Telecommunication and IT also offered a high number of job openings and, considering the fast technological development, this number is likely to grow.
While it may be that the peak hiring period in the tech industry has now elapsed, there are still many vacancies despite the slower pace of development.
Our database shows that the highest number of job postings in 2024 were registered in Asia, Africa and Northern America, and the European regions (both the EU and non-EU countries).
In February 2025, the two sectors have around 500 job postings available on the DevelopmentAid platform.
Sectors: Fundraising and NGOs
Number of jobs posted in 2024: 7,244
Environment, human rights, and development are just a few of the areas within the Fundraising and NGO sectors where experts are in high demand.
Although it is impossible to estimate the total number of NGOs operating around the globe, approximate figures can be established for individual countries. For example, according to 2021 data presented by the U.S. Department of State, in the U.S. alone there were approximately 1.5 million NGOs.
Since Northern America boasts the largest number of NGOs, naturally the region was home to the highest number of jobs posted on the DevelopmentAid platform in 2024 – over 2,200, followed by Asia and the European region.
Around 500 jobs in the Fundraising and NGOs sectors are available on the platform in February 2025.
Sector: Health
Number of jobs posted in 2024: 11,910
One of the sectors that is evolving the most quickly is healthcare which employs millions of specialists around the globe, including physicians, nurses, and technology experts.
Experts predict that by 2030, there will be 84 million, or 30%, more health workers worldwide than there are today.
The DevelopmentAid database listed almost 12,000 health-sector jobs in 2024, with the highest number being in Asia and Africa, followed by Northern America.
In February 2025, around 600 job opportunities can be found in the Health sector on our platform.
Sector: Environment and Natural Resource Management (NRM)
Number of jobs posted in 2024: 9,348
2024 was the hottest year since 1850 when temperatures were first recorded worldwide, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information with the 20th-century average of 13.9°C (57.0°F) being 1.29°C (2.32°F) higher last year.
Environmental issues ranging from contamination and improper waste management to unsustainable energy use are closely related to this increase in temperature. Therefore, the world needs environmental specialists who can identify and evaluate current or potential environmental issues, and devise ways to mitigate or completely eradicate these.
In 2024, the DevelopmentAid platform published over 9,300 job openings for environmental and related professionals across almost every continent.
More than 600 jobs are still available in the Environment sector on the platform in February 2025.
Sector: Good Governance and Human Rights
Number of jobs posted in 2024: 8,041
Good governance and human rights walk hand-in-hand in terms of poverty eradication and sustainable development. Good governance pertains to the institutional and political procedures required to arrive at the results that meet development objectives, while human rights mainly refers to the way in which public institutions handle public resources, run public affairs, and ensure that human rights are well-respected for each and every citizen.
There are numerous human rights groups with some of the most well-known being Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Anti-Slavery International, and Global Rights.
Our database showed there were over 8,000 jobs in 2024 in the Good Governance and Human Rights sectors, most of which were in Africa and Asia.
Around 400 job openings in the Good Governance and Human Rights sectors are available in February 2025 on developmentaid.org.
See also: Top 10 foreign aid organizations hiring the most in 2024
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