2.2 The workforce

Figure 4 Working in voluntary organisations
In Week 7 you will find out more about the volunteering ‘workforce’ but here the focus is on the paid workforce. According to NCVO (2015a):
- 821,000 people work in the voluntary sector in the UK, and this number tends to increase every few years
- 66% of the workforce is female (similar to the public sector but much more than the private sector)
- 20% of the workforce has a disability (similar to the public sector)
- 8% of employees are from black and ethnic minority groups (similar to the public sector)
- 38% of the workforce is over 50 (more than both public and private sectors).
Next you look at the contribution of the sector – which adds to the picture of size but is about its contribution in monetary terms. Of course, the sector makes a contribution in other ways – in terms of helping others, building