NASW Center for Workforce Studies
The NASW Center for Workforce Studies conducts studies on the current social work labor force. For many years, there has been limited information about the social work labor force. The NASW Center for Workforce Studies seeks to establish a leadership role for NASW in addressing this information gap and strengthening the link between science and service (research and practice). This information is critical to determine trends in employment, to address professional training needs, to quantify barriers to quality service delivery, and to inform relevant policy and advocacy efforts.
Listed below are career related studies conducted by the NASW Center for Workforce Studies on:
Workforce Trends Affecting the Profession 2009
Stress at Work: How Do Social Workers Cope?
Assuring the Sufficiency of a Frontline Workforce: A National Study of Licensed Social Workers
Professional Development
Social Workers at Work
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Workforce Trends Affecting the Profession 2009 (NEW)
Diversity. Competency. Flexibility. Resiliency. As the U.S. population increases, the nation is expected to experience demographic shifts that will result in a population characterized more by its diversity than by any other factor. Find out where social work jobs are headed and what challenges face our profession and practices. Click here to read the introduction free and view the table of contents. Order your copy of the booklet now. |
Stress at Work: How Do Social Workers Cope?
Social workers often face work-related challenges or obstacles that may cause them to feel overwhelmed and stressed. In response to the stress, and in order to maintain psychological and physiological state of balance, social workers use different strategies to help them cope.
 The NASW Center for Workforce Studies conducted a survey in 2007 of its members on the topics of social work work-related stressors, stress related health concerns, and stress management. Key findings from include the following:
Work-Related Stressors:
When study participants were asked to identify factors that contribute to work-related stress, many indicated the following:
- Lack of time to complete the necessary tasks of their job
- Working with difficult or challenging clients
- Low paying salaries
- Having more responsibilities then they can handle
- Having few opportunities for advancement and/or promotion
- Being expected to work long hours
- Receiving few resources to adequately accomplish work tasks
- Having conflicting or unclear job expectations
- Getting minimal support from co-workers and/or supervisors
- Being unable to balance professional and personal life
Stress-Related Health Concerns:
Many participants indicated that they experience health-related problems resulting from the stress they experience at work. Some social workers providing direct services, incurred the following health issues:
- Psychological problems
- Sleep disorders
- Fatigue
Stress Management:
- Camping
- Fishing
- Painting
- Pilates
- Yoga
- Reading
- Spiritual development
- Martial arts
- Gardening
- Listening to music
- Watching television
- Massage
Study participants living with high levels of stress identified several strategies that aid them in managing the stresses of their day-to-day work. The following activities helped social workers manage their stress:
- Exercise
- Meditation
- Therapy
- Prescription medication
To see the full report click here. Visit NASW’s Center for Workforce Studies for more research on the social work profession.
Assuring the Sufficiency of a Frontline Workforce: A National Study of Licensed Social Workers
 To better predict the adequacy and sufficiency of the social work labor force to meet the changing needs of society, the NASW Center for Workforce Studies, in partnership with the Center for Health Workforce Studies, University of Albany conducted a benchmark national survey of licensed social workers in the fall of 2004. Topics of the survey included characteristics of licensed social workers, employment settings, roles and tasks, populations served, and workplace issues. Key findings in the survey include the following:
Characteristics of Licensed Social Workers:
- Social workers have advanced educational preparation and practice experience.
- Social workers are significantly older than the U. S. civilian labor force.
- Social workers are not as diverse as the populations they serve in terms of race, ethnicity and gender.
- The geographic distribution of social workers is uneven, resulting in gaps in access for those in rural areas.
- Social workers’ most frequent specialty practice areas are mental health, child welfare/family, health, and aging.
- Social workers are employed in a wide range of community settings, including public, non-profit, and for-profit organizations.
- Licensed social workers spend the majority of their time providing direct client services.
- Social workers perform a range of tasks related to direct client intervention as well as assistance with navigation of community resources and systems of care.
Client Populations Served by Social Workers:
- Client populations served by social workers are diverse in race, age, and gender.
- Clients often have multiple conditions and complex problems.
- Client populations are frequently from vulnerable groups such as children and older adults or are individuals with serious physical or mental disabilities.
Workplace Issues:
- Over the last two years, social workers have experienced increases in barriers to effective practice and decreases in support systems for effective practice.
- Overall, social workers express satisfaction with their efficacy as practitioners.
- Social work salaries have high variability.
- Twelve percent of respondents report plans to leave the workforce in the next two years.
To see the full report click here. Visit NASW’s Center for Workforce Studies for more research on the social work profession.
Professional Development
 To gain more insight into the professional development of social workers, The NASW Center for Workforce Studies conducted a survey in 2007. The survey explored continuing education training content areas for social workers, the accessibility of continuing education activities for social workers, the importance of professional development in social work, and the extent of employers' support and contribution to the professional development of social workers. Below is a summary of the survey findings.
Professional social work practice requires a commitment on the part of social workers to continue their professional development throughout their careers. Social workers are also generally required to receive additional training and participate in professional development activities to maintain their social work licenses and/or to meet employment requirements. Fortunately, the majority of the social workers who participated in the survey find that continuing education programs are somewhat accessible to them. Social work conferences and continuing education programs offered by professional associations were also common venues for receiving additional training. While the majority of social workers identified clinical practice as the primary desired content area for continuing education, other study participants identified specialty practice areas, best practices, trauma/disaster preparedness, supervision, and ethics as additional areas in which they would like to receive more social work training. On the whole, professional development was regarded as a very important factor in job advancement in social work, particularly for social workers working in mental health settings. Given the importance of professional development for social workers, many employers provide their social work staff with time off to attend continuing education programs, pay for trainings, and/or provide incentives for social workers’ participation in such activities. The fact that most of the respondents reported that they attended professional development activities within the last 12 months indicates the high level of value that social workers place on keeping abreast of developments within the profession.
To see the full report click here. Visit NASW’s Center for Workforce Studies for more research on the social work profession.
Social Workers at Work
To gain more insight into social workers at work, The NASW Center for Workforce Studies conducted a survey in 2007. This report highlights the employment characteristics of the social worker participants and explores the safety issues that they encounter in their work environments. Below is a summary of the survey findings.
 Social workers are employed in a variety of practice areas and organizational settings. The majority of the social workers who participated in the survey hold an active social work license and are employed primarily in outpatient mental health and independent private practice settings. Additionally, many of these study participants are employed on a full-time basis and provide direct intervention to individuals and families. On average, social workers earn between $30,000 per year and $59,999 per year and receive competitive employee benefits packages that include health and dental insurance and a 401(k) or 403(b) retirement plan.
To see the full report click here. Visit NASW’s Center for Workforce Studies for more research on the social work profession.
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