NICVA Profiles the Size and Scope of the NI Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise Sector

NICVA’s latest Profile update of the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise sector in Northern Ireland reveals that as of February 2020, there are approximately 6,122 organisations in NI. The vast majority of these operate within Northern Ireland but a proportion have a remit outside NI with 6.5% also covering ROI, 4% being UK-wide and 6.2% International.

The Assembly constituency containing the highest proportion of NI’s VCSE organisations was Belfast South (8.38%) followed by Fermanagh and South Tyrone (6.89%) and North Antrim (6.53%). Belfast Council area holds over a fifth of NI’s organisations, while , Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Council holds one in ten (10.51%) and Newry, Mourne and Down holds one in twelve (8.43%).

Based on findings from NICVA's Workforce Survey 2018, the voluntary and community sector remains an important employer in Northern Ireland with an estimated 53,620 employees, representing 7% of the total Northern Ireland workforce. 66.7% of organisations (n=156) employed paid staff. The average number of employees in these organisations was 14.4 and 58% of staff were employed on a full-time basis. One in 7 organisations (14.3%) employ or involve EU mainland (non-UK/Irish) citizens as volunteers/interns.

The full update of Profile 2020 can be accessed here