We’re getting a look at the latest employment numbers which show growth in nonprofit employment through the 2019 Nonprofit Employment Report from the Johns Hopkins Center for Civil Society Studies.

The report states that based on the data “The nonprofit sector is not only a significant employer, but also a significant contributor to employment growth even in recessionary periods.”

U.S. data:

• Nationwide, nonprofits employ 12.3 million people, which is 10.2 percent of the total U.S. private workforce.

• The nonprofit sector is the third largest generator of payroll income in the U.S.

• From 2007 to 2016, the nonprofit sector workforce grew by 16.7 percent.

Michigan-specific data at a glance:

• Nonprofits employ 10.8 percent of Michigan’s workforce.

• Nonprofit sector workforce in our state grew by 6.3 percent in 2012-2016.

• In our state, nonprofits in 23 of our counties employ more than 10 percent of the total private workforce in that county. While in an additional 15 counties nonprofits employ 5 to 10 percent of the workforce.

As for what’s fueling this growth, the report points to more women in the workforce, the need for more programs when recessions cause hardships for families and an aging population.

The report states that as the nonprofit sector is facing challenges in charitable giving due to last year’s expansion of the standard deduction this data may serve as an important tool for nonprofits to share the value of the sector particularly with policy-makers and communities.

“What these data show, among other things, is that nonprofit organizations are a far more sizable economic force in this country than is commonly appreciated. They employ millions of people, generate huge wage payments that in turn lead to substantial income and sales tax revenues for state and federal governments, and save governments further costs through programs that reduce the incidence of a wide variety of ‘social ills,’” the report shares.

Want more?

Read the full report.