VCS employment falls by 70,000 in 2011

Employment in the VCS has fallen by nearly 8.7% over the past 12 months according to the latest analysis of the Labour Force Survey. Data released for the third quarter of 2011 shows that the UK voluntary sector employs 723,000 people, a fall of 70,000, 8.7% of the workforce, over the past 12 months. Public sector employment fell by 4.3% whilst private sector employment rose by 1.5% over the same period. The data also indicates that certain parts of the sector have been disproportionately affected by the fall in employment, with the majority of the occurring among female employees, with 56,000 fewer female employees in the sector than 12 months previously, a decline of 10%. Regions including the North East, London, South East and Scotland have also witnessed high losses. The figures also show an annual fall in pay in the VCS, with the median gross hourly pay falling by nearly 3% in the sector to £10.00 per hour. This fall occurred despite increases experienced in both the public and the private sector. The latest findings were produced by the Third Sector Research Centre (TSRC) and the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) in partnership with Skills -Third Sector. They form part of an ongoing study into overall voluntary sector workforce trends. To download an executive summary of the findings visit www.skills-thirdsector.org.uk/documents/Labour_Force_Survey_-_Exec_Sum_Jan_2012.pdf.