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There is little debate that the dismantling of USAID this year resulted in incomprehensible loss to global humanitarian programs. There has been extensive media coverage of the ripple effects these decisions have had on thousands of development programs and funders around the globe. In addition to these impacts, the website www.usaidstopwork.com has confirmed that over 238,000 global jobs have been lost from USAID and its implementing partners as of September, 2025. 

Their plight hasn’t gotten as much media attention, but independent consultants working in development — who are often not represented in workforce statistics — have also been deeply impacted. This ecosystem includes contractors and consultants tied to projects run by USAID and its implementing partners, including NGOs, as well as consultants who support the work of bilateral and multilateral donors, UN agencies and more. (There is no central registry that captures the number of these independent consultants, and their number is constantly shifting, so it’s difficult to estimate.)

As independent development consultants ourselves, we wanted to better understand these shared challenges. So in May, in collaboration with Wayan Vota from The Career Pivot, we launched a survey of independent consultants to benchmark their situations and to show solidarity with our peers, as well as to advocate for thoughtful hiring practices informed by the results. We’re sharing the results of this survey for the first time in this article: Our goal is to highlight key takeaways from this research, and to provide helpful insights for independent consultants working in the development sector, whether they are new to working independently, are temporarily testing it out, or have been independent for many years.

A steep drop in consultants’ personal incomes and a cautious outlook

We received responses from 126 individuals across several continents: slightly more than half of whom are based in North America, 71% of whom are fully independent, and 20% of whom are hybrid — i.e., both part of a consultancy firm and working independently. Almost 44% of respondents have been working as consultants for between two and 10 years, with roughly one third working independently for more than 10 years, and one third who either recently started or are one to two years into their independent careers.

Half of the respondents were the main breadwinners in their household — a fact that is concerning, given that 53.7% of total respondents were not currently working on a contract. The majority of respondents shared that more than 60% of their business came from USAID over the last couple of years. In asking what they had earned this year compared to the same time period in an average year, the majority expressed “almost nothing” (from zero to 20% of their usual earnings), with a quarter expressing that they are earning from 20 to 50% of their former income. One responder noted, “I have not had to grapple with such a sudden loss of all income before now, and with no safety net of unemployment.” Fully independent consultants were hit harder financially, and spend more time job searching than firm-affiliated consultants.

The negative mental and emotional toll of the sector’s disruptions was evident. In response to the question “How do you feel about your career and your role as a consultant in the future?”, the words “uncertain,” “anxious,” “nervous,” “disillusioned” and “confusing” were common, particularly in the context of financial stability and the future of the sector. As one responder put it: “Very proud of my career. Very uncertain about my future.” Another noted: “I recognize that organizations are navigating uncertainty and that this is mostly process-related‚ but it is hard not to take it a bit personally. No matter the role, how people are treated still matters. It’s hard to see a future for myself as a consultant in this field.”

Consultants are testing various strategies and pivoting to earn income

With respect to strategies that consultants are employing to navigate these challenges, the most common responses were “looking for a full-time role” and “looking for clients in the public or private sectors.” In addition to diversifying their roles and clients, some are waiting it out and hoping to continue working as development consultants. Others are considering changing careers, which has implications for the loss of institutional knowledge and memory. And more than half are considering potentially moving to another country to seek work there.

Nearly 40% of respondents spend more than eight hours per week networking, searching and applying to consulting or job opportunities, with 23.4% spending between five to eight hours weekly. Respondents expressed that this is considerably more time than they spent on these activities in the past.

Based on our overall analysis of the survey results, independent, newer consultants, women and non–North American consultants are most likely to report very low income relative to previous years, and very high job-search effort (over eight hours weekly), while experienced, firm-affiliated and North American-based consultants reported relatively better stability.

How existing and prospective contracting companies can help

The emotional toll of these past few months is undeniable. As one of the consultants we quoted above put it: “how people are treated still matters.” The most common responses to the question of how existing and prospective clients can help during this challenging time were: 

• Not making project application processes too time-consuming or tedious, at least in the first stage; 
• Providing illustrative level of effort and budget ranges in TORs (terms of references defining the scope, responsibilities and desired candidate profile of consultancy positions); 
• Making the application process more transparent; and 
• Communicating better to facilitate planning, including informing candidates if they have not been chosen so they can move on. 
• Additionally, processing invoices and payments more promptly would be appreciated (and we have certainly heard our share of horror stories from other consultants about this topic).

With respect to daily rates, which are commonly used in the development sector, respondents expressed the belief that some contracting organizations are taking advantage of the situation to negotiate down their daily rates, with some using the terms “predatory” and “underpaid.” The question of what constitutes fair payment is certainly a complex topic in development sector consulting, and consultants are aware of the financial or budgetary pressures as well as the increased competition. But many feel that it is important for hiring organizations to establish rates that are flexible, realistic (taking into account that many consultants cover their own healthcare, retirement contributions and other benefits), and reasonable — i.e., commensurate with the scope and complexity of the work required, and the education, expertise and experience that consultants bring. The desire for more transparency about how organizations make their hiring decisions and set their payment rates and project budgets was also clear.

Insights and recommendations from recruiters

We also sought the perspectives of two search and talent agencies on the hiring trends they’ve seen in the last few months relative to previous years, in the hope that these insights would be helpful to consultants looking for full-time roles. 

They expressed that there is more competition for available jobs, with a higher volume of candidates expressing interest — in some cases, between 350 to 400 applicants to a single position. There has also been an increase in the hiring of fundraising positions, and extra interest in candidates who can connect impact with financial sustainability, e.g., by building commercial partnerships, or by combining finance experience and operational expertise. Hiring processes have also rewarded candidates who can quantify their impact.

Alicia Salerno, a Managing Director with DSG | Koya, a U.S.-based firm dedicated to filling mission-driven leadership roles, offered the following advice:

• For job seekers: Be proactive, stay engaged and use your network. Apply as soon as you see a role that interests you — especially if it’s likely to draw a big pool.
• For recruiters: Prioritize timely communication. Balancing client needs with candidate outreach is never easy, but in such a competitive and uncertain market, even a brief update to notify applicants when a position is filled can go a long way. It’s one of the simplest ways to show respect and kindness, especially knowing that many candidates are applying to multiple roles each week.

Rafael Achondo, founder and CEO of matteria — a global headhunting and strategic organizational development consultancy for organizations working in impact, sustainability and entrepreneurship, with strong coverage across Latin America — also offered valuable advice for job seekers:

• Treat your career as a project with discipline and rigor: Define goals and timelines, including role and sector objectives with monthly and weekly milestones. 
• Block out fixed slots on your calendar for active job searching, mapping sectors, industries and role types, and seeking out market research on salaries, in-demand skills and key players. 
• Identify new skills and experiences required, and design a “gap plan”: what to learn, how and when. 
• Measure your progress and seek market insights: Use conversations and events to understand what’s happening, what skills are valued, and how to prepare for this new professional context. Use AI as a copilot to map roles, refine your narrative and simulate interviews.

To his fellow recruiters, Achondo offers some cautionary notes: Unclear definitions of ideal candidate profiles will cause lost talent and focus. Matteria has been seeing longer search processes due to misaligned expectations and the search for the “perfect match” between experience, technical skills, cultural fit and salary. Also, without explicit multi-currency compensation rules (seniority parity, caps), there will be internal friction and slower processes.

Solidarity and silver linings for development consultants

Amidst the challenges of this year, collective solidarity and support has been one of the silver linings we have experienced. Knowing that even though you are independent consultants, you are not alone in your situation — and that there are many resources out there to support you — is hopefully an encouragement to others. 

We are both part of a co-created collective of international development consultants that meets regularly for the purposes of networking, sharing best practices, and mutual learning and support. We believe this unique period in time is both a wake-up call as well as an opportunity to lean on each other and our lived experiences, build resilience, and adapt to the ongoing, changing needs of the development sector. (Those interested in joining the group can find more information here.)

On that note, we’d like to close this article with a final quote from the survey responses: “This crisis is a great opportunity to question our own practice, vision and values as development professionals. We can use this crisis to transform how development is done. This is a great opportunity for those of us who have been promoting systems thinking to maximize the value for money, sustainability and scale of development programs. Let’s find out what each one of us can do to challenge and/or collaborate with donors, governments, businesses and NGOs to embrace this crisis and turn it into a golden opportunity.”

Alethia Wong is an independent consultant providing advisory services to foundations, impact funds, social enterprises and non-profits; Lorenz Wild is an independent consultant and Professional Certified Coach.

Photo credit: francescoch