The DEARTH OF EMPLOYMENT

Employment losses in the development and humanitarian sectors have accelerated over the last two years. Since January 2025, I have experienced the longest dearth of employment in my working life.

Some argue that the sector was bloated, inefficient and creating unnecessary dependencies, or that staff were privileged and received generous redundancy payments.

That may to an extent be true. But the shift has been brutal, with cuts undertaken rapidly and often driven by ideology rather than efficiency: a collective trip to the woodchipper. The effects on delivery and individuals have been devastating.

Last week I returned to Geneva, catching up with friends and sampling the atmosphere. I launched my book The Punctuation of Loss, with excellent exchanges, although far fewer people than the 105 who attended my Angeland launch in the same venue in 2019.

I also heard about two jobs I had applied for and felt well qualified for. Both were straight rejections. 'Director of Global Programs' at More in Common had 771 applications. A Head of Performance Monitoring role in a Geneva multilateral organization had over 600.

I had coffee with a former UN colleague who had lost her job, but also experienced sexual harassment. To ensure “neutrality”, she effectively had to leave the organization to appeal. She ended up having a breakdown and miscarriage.

There are many people looking for work for a narrowing pool of jobs. There is a lot of pain out there. Many specialized in their fields for decades: finding alternatives is no simple matter.