The job market for development workers is dire right now.
The Trump administration didn’t just gut USAID; its retrenchment from international aid also set in motion layoffs at the UN secretariat, UNHCR, UNICEF, WHO, and beyond. Devex, a news and research site focused on global development, reported a 43% year-on-year reduction in UN job listings on its site in 2025.
As more aid workers compete for fewer vacancies, spammy LinkedIn pages have tried to cash in by promoting often dubious development jobs that are hidden behind layers of ads. The pages, many of which appear to be connected, sent applicants on a wild goose chase for job listings that often didn’t exist.
LinkedIn users that replied to the job postings were frequently targeted by comments from apparently inauthentic recruiter profiles with names like “Jane Fonda” and “Marilyn Monroe.” The profiles posted links to other spammy websites, or referred people to scammy career coaches.
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