Social Workers: Over Worked and Under Compensated

As the economy continues to lag and the population continues to grow social service needs will continue to rise. Social workers play a critical role in helping people on their path to autonomy and self-sufficiency, whether it’s due to unemployment, substance abuse or a mental illness. Two prominent values of the profession are service and social justice. Social workers strive to help those in need and to address social problems including poverty, discrimination and unemployment. Despite their high need (the profession is projected grow faster than all other professions on average, which illustrates the demand for social workers), social workers continue to be compensated and recruited less than other social service professionals, such as teachers and nurses.

Even with similar education requirements and job descriptions social workers continue to be paid less than teachers and nurses. This is clearly evident when comparing registered nurses with social workers. The minimum education for registered nurses is an associate degree, while social workers must have a bachelor degree. However, many social work positions require advanced education (e.g. Master degree) and advanced licensure (e.g. Licensed Clinical Social Worker). This is most commonly found among social work positions in schools and the health sector, which are some of the highest social service need areas. Therefore, despite increased educational and competency requirements, social workers are paid approximately $5,000 less than entry-level  secondary education teachers (10 month contract) and $4,000 less than registered nurses annually in Texas. This compounds the problem because evidence indicates this results in high turnover rates, insufficient experience and dissatisfaction within the social work profession. If the profession of social work is not adequately sustained and supported by society (e.g. financially competitive) then how will the nation’s vast social service needs be met?