{"id":4364,"date":"2025-07-03T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-03T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/cicp-pcpob\/?p=4364"},"modified":"2025-06-19T12:51:51","modified_gmt":"2025-06-19T16:51:51","slug":"understanding-the-hr-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/cicp-pcpob\/2025\/understanding-the-hr-crisis\/","title":{"rendered":"Understanding the HR Crisis Facing Charities: Insights from CICP Data"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n Understanding the HR Crisis Facing Charities: Insights from CICP Data\n <\/h1>\n \n \n <\/header>\n\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n

The charitable sector in Canada is facing a severe recruitment and retention crisis<\/strong>, threatening its ability to deliver essential goods and services. In 2020, Statistics Canada<\/a> reported that 38% of nonprofits anticipated challenges in recruiting skilled employees, while 33% expected difficulties in retaining staff. A study by the Ontario Nonprofit Network<\/a> in 2022 revealed that 65% of nonprofits were struggling with these HR issues, with Indigenous- and Black-led organizations facing particularly dire conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although the COVID-19 pandemic intensified these challenges, the root cause remains the sector\u2019s chronic underfunding<\/strong>. Studies from the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy<\/a> and the Social Planning Network of Ontario<\/a> highlight how insecure funding has led to low wages, unstable employment, and high turnover for decades. As a result, burnout, declining morale, and difficulty attracting and retaining talent have become widespread.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What CICP Data Reveals About Employee Turnover<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Since 2022, the Charity Insights Canada Project (CICP)<\/strong> has surveyed charities weekly to track sector-wide challenges. In March 2023<\/a> and <\/strong>June 2024<\/a>,<\/strong> we specifically examined staff retention, uncovering a significant increase in employee turnover<\/strong>\u2014primarily driven by insufficient pay, benefits, and rising burnout<\/strong>.<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Employee Turnover Trends:<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

We categorized turnover into three groups:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. No turnover<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Low turnover (1-20%)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. High turnover (21-100%)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Our data shows a worsening trend over time<\/strong>. Organizations reporting no or low turnover decreased between 2023 and 2024, while high turnover jumped from 27% to 39%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"Employee
    2023: 622 responses (Margin of error: \u00b14%); 2024: 639 responses (Margin of error: \u00b14%)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Turnover by Organization Size<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    Larger organizations historically experienced higher turnover, but by 2024, even smaller charities were significantly affected. For instance:<\/p>\n\n\n\n