According to the results of the study, professionals who have undertaken development service have acquired skills that are in demand in the job market. But does this make a positive difference to their future careers? How do professionals themselves see their job situation two years after their return. 

Half of them observe that their own job situation has improved. But a quarter are unable to observe any significant change as a result of undertaking development service. 

Most professionals who report that their job situation has improved attribute this directly to their development service or civil peace service. Half of them observe that their professional experience receives a high degree of recognition. And 16 percent believe that the positive image of development service and civil peace service contributed to an improvement in their job situation. 

Overall, the picture is largely positive. However, 16 percent of the returnees experience their job situation after undertaking development service or civil peace service as being worse than before. Those whose situation has deteriorated are on average three years older. It took them longer to find work and they were more likely to have completed three or more contracts under the Development Workers Act. 

The reasons that most of them gave for their worsening job situation were that their service did not seem to be valued and that the job market hat deterioated. About five percent reported that they had not been able to continue their professional career. In times of digitalisation and rapid technology change, there is a risk of this in some fields of work.