According to a recent study by Pro Bono Economics over half of charities (54%) have vacancies they are looking to fill. Furthermore, 83% of charities are finding it challenging to recruit as they attempt to meet increasing demand.
Recruitment issues
These recruitment issues mean that 46% of charities do not expect to meet demand over the next three months and nearly a third have not met contractual or project objectives. Another key concern for charities is that the staff shortage is causing burnout (25%) with 24% of charities saying that burnout is the main cause of their retention issues. In order to mitigate this the majority of charities (53%) have decided to increase salaries and 22% have decided to increase spending on recruitment. However, those struggling with recruitment have found that there seems to be a lack of applicants with the required skills and a general reduction in interest in charity roles.
Increase in demand
Due to inflation seriously affecting the most vulnerable households almost 80% of charities surveyed said they had experienced increased demand for their services during the past three months (the survey was undertaken between 6 & 20 February 2023). This combined with the current recruitment issues and huge concerns regarding income is making life extremely challenging for charities.
The future looks bright for the minority
With the economy showing small signs of improvement so far during 2023, the future for the charity sector also starts to look more promising for some. The report cited that the number of charities reporting high levels of uncertainty has slightly decreased and an increasing minority of charities are more optimistic about their short-term future in a number of areas including recruitment and finances.
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