UK Civil Society Almanac 2024

The voluntary sector is distinguished two things: its mission-driven work and the unique characteristics of its workforce.

In 2023, as in previous years, women made up the majority (68%) of the workforce.

The sector also has a more mature workforce compared to the public and private sectors, with fewer young people under 25 and a higher proportion of employees aged 55 and over.

Compared to other sectors, the voluntary sector still lags behind slightly in terms of ethnic diversity. However, in 2023, the proportion of the workforce from a Global Majority background increased. This is driven by a slightly higher proportion of Asian workers.

The proportion of disabled people working in the voluntary sector has also seen a significant increase since 2021. This reflects the sector's inclusive practices.

In December 2023, women made up the majority (68%) of the voluntary sector workforce. This is the highest proportion of women across all sectors.

In the public sector, women represent 64% of the workforce. In contrast, in the private sector men make up 57% of the workforce.

The proportion of men and women in the voluntary sector has remained relatively stable over the past decade, with only minor fluctuations.

This suggests that the sector continues to be an attractive employment option for women, particularly in roles that align with caregiving and community-focused work.

The voluntary sector has the oldest workforce of any sector in the UK.

In December 2023, 28% of employees were aged 55 and over. This is higher than both the public and private sectors. This demographic trend has persisted over several years.

Unlike the private sector, the voluntary sector offers very few formal entry schemes or apprenticeships. This may explain the lower number of younger workers, with only 6% of employees under the age of 25 – half the proportion seen in the private sector (13%).

The age profile of the voluntary sector workforce is relatively stable, though there has been a slight shift away from those aged 45 to 54 towards those aged 55 and over:

• 66% are aged 25 to 55
• 89% are aged 25 to 64.

This is similar to the public sector (91% aged 25 to 64) but slightly higher than in the private sector (83%).

In previous years, ethnic diversity in the voluntary sector has been consistently lower than in both the public and private sectors. However, this gap has now reduced.

In December 2023:

• 87% of the voluntary sector workforce identified as white, compared to 85% in the public sector and 84% in the private sector
• 13% of people working in the voluntary sector were from a Global Majority background, compared to 18% of the UK population. This figure has increased from 9% in December 2022.

The number of workers from a Global Majority background had been fairly stable for some years (8% in 2012) with the main increase in the past year. In contrast, the public and private sectors had seen a steady increase over time (15% up from 10% in 2012, and 16% up from 10% in 2012).

Nonetheless, this still represents a minimal change in diversity within the voluntary sector over the past decade, despite broader societal shifts towards greater ethnic diversity.

Of the 13% of the voluntary sector workforce that identifies as from Global Majority backgrounds, these are most likely to be Asian (5.5%) followed by Black (3.8%) employees. The main increase over time has been among Asian workers (up from 2.2% in December 2012).

The voluntary sector continues to strive for greater inclusivity, and improvements have now been seen, but these figures highlight the ongoing challenge of increasing ethnic diversity within the workforce.

There is still slightly less ethnic diversity in the voluntary sector workforce than in both the public and private sectors.

Since 2016, the voluntary sector has seen a significant increase in the proportion of disabled people within its workforce, rising from 19% in 2016 to 28% in December 2023.

This is increasingly higher than both the public sector (22%) and the private sector (19%) and reflects the sector's commitment to inclusivity and flexible working arrangements.

The growth in the proportion of disabled employees in the voluntary sector has been particularly notable in recent years, increasing from 23% in from December 2021 to 28% in December 2023.

This trend may be influenced by greater awareness and self-identification among employees, as well as the sector's adoption of practices such as flexible and remote working.

The number of disabled people in the voluntary sector continues to grow, with just over 1 in 4 people identifying as disabled.