A persistent workforce shortage, with equally persistent barriers that exclude women and people of color, has left social impact organizations struggling to tackle the most complex challenges such as climate change, healthcare disparities, food insecurity, humanitarian emergency response, lack of financial inclusion, and systemic discrimination, a report from the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation finds.

Created in partnership with Data.org, the report, Workforce Wanted: Data Talent for Social Impact, (88 pages, PDF) explored four potential pathways to develop a robust workforce of data professionals: new talent, existing talent, transitional talent, and leadership. Through a review of nearly 200 data talent initiatives, a literature review, expert interviews with more than 30 leaders across the globe, and extensive desk research, the report surveyed what is needed to shape an inclusive, diverse, equitable, and accessible (IDEA) talent base of data professionals driving social impact.

“The Workforce Wanted report provides an important foundation for understanding how building a diverse generation of data professionals is essential for advancing socioeconomic goals. Across low and middle-income countries, our conservative estimate is that there is potential to create a cohort of 3.5 million data professionals focused on social impact,” said Robin Miller, global digital & data practice lead and regional director for Africa at Dalberg.

“In advancing the purpose-driven data talent workforce, we must act boldly to ensure better and more access to training and upskilling opportunities for women, people of color, and people from different economic backgrounds and conditions,” said data.org senior advisor Ginger Zielinskie. “This mission calls for partnerships across sectors—social impact organizations, government, philanthropy, academia, and tech—to develop, foster, and unlock data talent. This report illuminates the opportunity to align on shared goals and create a plan which is both achievable and ambitious.”

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