A new survey from the Scottish charities umbrella body has shown high levels of short-term employment in the country’s voluntary sector amid funding insecurity.
One in four respondents to the survey reported being on fixed-term or temporary contracts, with this figure rising to one in three for front-line workers.
Further to this, more than a quarter of Scottish voluntary sector workers (27%) reported feeling it was quite or highly likely that they would lose their job in the next 12 months. This was twice the rate reported in the wider Scottish workforce (13%).
The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations’ (SCVO) 2025 Voluntary Workforce Survey, the full report of which will be published later this month, received responses from more than 1,300 people working for Scottish charities and voluntary organisations.
It found that staff across the sector are being negatively impacted by funding insecurity, as well as general funding shortages impacting on pay and resources.
Work-life balance and job satisfaction scores down
Alongside worries about their future, the proportion of survey respondents who felt they had a good work-life balance was 50%, compared to 60% a decade earlier.
Many respondents spoke of increased workloads due to problems recruiting and retaining staff, described as a knock-on effect of funding cuts and insecurity.
Some 84% of respondents said that making a real difference to people and communities was one of the best aspects of their work and 87% of viewed their work as useful, both higher than the wider workforce.
However, job satisfaction was down 15 percentage points from 79% in 2015 to 64% in 2025.
The main factors driving this decline appeared to be higher workloads and stress, as well as funding.
‘Significant strain’ on Scottish voluntary sector
Responding to the survey findings, SCVO chief executive, Anna Fowlie said: “Our workforce survey shows a strong sense of purpose among voluntary sector workers, and commitment to the work they do day in, day out.
“But it also highlights the significant strain being put on voluntary sector workers as a result of the financial pressures that have become all too familiar to the voluntary sector.
“Voluntary sector leaders will, of course, be up for the challenge of delivering rewarding, fair work. Too often this is being undermined by public sector funders. Budget cuts, short-term funding cycles, late payments, incoherent decision-making and poor communication have become all-too familiar.
“This needs to change – and our politicians know it. Ahead of the Scottish budget and spending review, the Scottish government has a real chance to create a funding landscape that is multi-year, sustainable, flexible and accessible.”
Multi-year funding pilot
The results come less than a year after the Scottish government announced that it would be allocating more than £60m of multi-year funding for charities as part of its Fairer Funding pilot.
The funding, subject to approval in the Scottish budget this month, will support projects in areas including health, education, poverty and culture and have a total value of £61.7m in 2025-26 and £63.2m in 2026-27.
A Scottish government spokesperson said: “We recognise the essential role played by the third sector and acknowledge that it needs support, stability and the opportunity for longer term planning and development.
“As part of the 2025-26 programme for government, we are delivering a Fairer Funding pilot that provides multi-year funding to third sector organisations, prioritising those that deliver frontline services and tackle child poverty.”
