The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) provides quarterly data on employment and wages for industries, including goat farming and limousine service, but not for the nation’s third-largest workforce – the nonprofit sector. In the absence of regular workforce data, nonprofits must divert valuable resources to gather replacement data and are forced to rely on estimates and uncertain projections. Regular access to quarterly jobs data from BLS will help the sector and individual charities demonstrate our impact and aid in our recovery. Why should you care? Here are three reasons:

  1. Nonprofits Are an Economic Force and Everyone Should Know It At more than 10% of the private workforce, the nonprofit sector is a major job creator and component of local economies, outdistancing all branches of manufacturing, all construction, and all finance and insurance. The depth and breadth of nonprofits’ economic role often surprises policymakers and the public, in part due to the lack of timely information about the sector.
  2. Data Makes a Difference in Advocating for Relief Reliable nonprofit workforce data would have been helpful in making a stronger case for the urgent need for support, demonstrate the impact that the pandemic was having on nonprofits, and the value of the services that we provide.
  3. Nonprofits Face an Uneven Pandemic Recovery Our sector is facing an uneven pandemic recovery, with over 700,000 jobs still missing and over a year estimated to recover them. Providing policymakers and nonprofit executives with adequate information showing the impact of COVID-19 on the sector is key to ensuring we are not left out of recovery efforts as we continue to provide essential services.

Read the full article about data advocacy by Emily Rogers at Independent Sector.