Nonprofits add nearly 70,000 jobs in July

Workers and volunteers at nonprofit in Houston, Texas.

Workers and volunteers at nonprofit in Houston, Texas. michelmond / Shutterstock

The nonprofit sector regained more than 67,000 jobs in July, with particularly strong gains in the educational field, according to a recent report from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Civil Society Studies.

About 42% of such jobs gained last month were in educational institutions – an increase of nearly 15% compared with June’s numbers. Religious, grantmaking, civic, professional and similar organizations also saw notable month-over-month gains, with employment at such organizations growing by a little more than 20%.

Still, the nonprofit sector is short about 615,000 total jobs compared to pre-pandemic employment levels. The lost jobs include almost 19% of workers in arts and entertainment nonprofits, and 8% of those in education. 

It would take a little more than one year for nonprofits to return the level of employment it had before the COVID-19 pandemic if the average rate of nonprofit job recovery continues. But the ongoing threat of the delta variant and possible return of capacity limits and shutdowns could slow that momentum, according to the report, particularly for organizations in arts and education.