Analysis Of Conservation Job Postings Shows Significant Decrease During 2025

An analysis of job posting data from 2023 to 2025 has found that non-federal conservation hiring in the United States collapsed beginning in mid-February 2025 and shows few signs of recovering as the year nears its end.

The jobs analyzed included those with state and local agencies, nonprofits, universities, and private-sector employers, as well as non-federal jobs that work in partnership with federal agencies, such as conservation corps and nonprofit partners. The analysis also included federal job postings, though it noted that the numbers are less reliable due to the comparatively low volume of postings. 

A sudden downturn occurred from March 1–September 30, 2025, when postings on Conservation Job Board fell 29.4 percent year over year (YOY). The largest decrease occurred in March when job postings fell 29 percent.

Likely due to a reduction in available jobs, jobseeker competition has increased significantly over the same period. The analysis found that the jobseekers-per-job ratio increased 40 percent from January to September, with competiveness peaking from March to June.

The analysis points out that the pattern may reflect a lag between the federal funding freeze imposed in January and February and its full effect on seasonal hiring and job searches, which normally peaks from January–April for the summer field season. Federal layoffs in February likely intensified jobseeker competition further.

For example, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the nation’s only government agency dedicated to conserving plants and animals, froze its portfolio of international conservation grants in February, and the elimination of USAID funding left conservationists and environmentalists without one of their most important and reliable sources of support.

In response to budget cuts that impacted funding for conservation and public lands personnel earlier this year, the National Wildlife Federation sent a letter to Congress, pointing out the the impact that conservation jobs can have. "The expertise and experience of the civil servants doing this critical work have been hard-earned and will not be easily replaced," stated the letter. "The returns to communities in the form of ecological services, natural amenities, public safety, functioning infrastructure, new business and job opportunities, and shared access to recreation resources outweigh any short-term savings from cuts to agency functions."

According to the analysis, paid internships and Americorps positions are being hit hardest, with a 43.8 percent and 42 percent decrease, respectively. This is concerning, as these jobs tend to be important for early-career development.

Permanent jobs saw a loss of 32.8 percent, while temporary and seasonal jobs decreased by only 15.8 percent, suggesting that employers are relying more and more on seasonal workers to meet operational needs.

For example, Ann Simonelli, the director of communications for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, explained in a recent email that the organization has experienced an increase in term roles and seasonal roles over the past few years because of federal funding from the American Relief Act and the Legacy Restoration Fund via the Great American Outdoors Act, among other sources. 

Postings have fallen more sharply for federal jobs, according to the analysis. However, the researchers note that the low volume of federal listings on third-party sites makes year-to-year comparisons less reliable.

The analysis also included a survey of 337 conservation employers about their hiring expectations for the rest of the year, which found that 42 percent expected to hire fewer people in 2025 than the same period in 2024. The most common reasons that employers gave for hiring decreases were concerns around reduced or uncertain federal funding, the general state of the economy and rising costs, and leadership caution.

The results of the survey suggest that hiring will continue to be slow for the rest of the year.