Landing in the profession
New social workers' choice of work and career
Abstract
In later decades the work environment of social workers has come to be given much attention in public debate in Sweden. Especially when it comes to social workers employed in the municipality social services. The background is that several alarming reports has been published about a bad work environment. According to some reports especially the newly employed newly examined social workers is subjected to great strain during the establishment phase of the professional role. The first time in a profession is always particularly challenging for the individual and can easily become problematic. However, there are no studies that take a more comprehensive approach to the problems surrounding the establishment of social workers in their professional field. The project behind this report has been aimed at contributing with such a comprehensive approach. The aim of the project has been to identify the causes and motives behind social workers career choices and career paths. Furthermore, to study in particular the obstacles and opportunities in the establishment of newly graduated social workers for work in the social service. And finally, to contribute to and develop knowledge that enables improved efforts for new social workers work environment and professional establishment.
The report is based on all three sub-studies of the project. It is mainly based on a nationwide survey that was directed to a sample (1000) of graduated in 2012 (about 2400), i.e. who has been working for five years at the time of the survey. A qualitative interview study was also conducted with 22 people on similar themes as the survey, and chosen from the same sample. Sections one through four in the report deal with the results of these two sub-studies. The project's third sub-study consisted of two so-called research circles with newly hired social workers at two units within a medium-sized municipality's social services. This is described in section five of the report.
The main results discussed in the report can be summarized as follows: An overall conclusion is that this is a generation of social workers who believe that they have the right qualifications for their work and whose vast majority think they have ended up in the right field and want to stay there. A majority believe that they are largely working today with what they originally wanted to work with when choosing their university college education. Another overall conclusion, however of a negative nature, is that, especially the large majority who are employed in the social service, experience working conditions of such a problematic nature today that it is difficult to live up to the goal of performing a professional job and at the same time have a satisfying work environment.
The various sections of the report also include the following: When respondents tell why they originally chose a career in the field of social work, a complex web of several different motives turns out to mostly lie behind their choices. During the university studies, knowledge about different possible career choices is developed and deepened, which leads to more conscious positions.
Most respondents in our study shows great mobility in the labour market. This mobility is first and foremost a result of dissatisfaction with working and professional conditions at a former workplace. It is therefore a question of getting away from bad conditions, not primarily of interest for the new. The career is thus very much governed by turning points and coincidences in life. Few of the respondents change jobs and professional roles based on a long-term career strategy.
Especially those employed in today's social service experience alarmingly poor working and professional conditions. The conditions are clearly problematic even in other parts of the professional field, but not to the same extent. Concerning the views about working and professional conditions in the social service (within the whole group), the criticism is massive, especially among those with their own experience of such work. Participants in the research circles are consistently very critical to the introduction to the workplace, although there are some exceptions. The participants tells about an organization where they feel as interchangeable things - as objects.
Despite all the criticism that emerged in the various sub-studies of the project, it turns out that very few in the study population have left what can be characterized as the professional field of social work. The conviction that it is within this field one wants to work appears strong despite current difficulties.
