The Impact of Precarious Employment on Social Work Skill Engagement and Career Satisfaction for Women

Abstract

A significant amount of literature discusses the changing nature of the social service sector and social work due to neoliberalism. The literature review discusses these neoliberal changes in connection with precarious employment and its’ impact on social work skills, career satisfaction and resistance. A small qualitative study was done, from a feminist and critical perspective, to understand how precarious employment impacts the particular social work skills of: relationship building, advocacy and reflexivity. Also, this study aimed to learn whether or not social workers engaged in activities and discussions to address precarious employment in their organizations and whether the impact of precarious employment on social work skills affected career satisfaction.

This data for this study was collected through 5 semi-structured interviews. Participants held a Bachelors in Social work degree and or a Master’s degree with a minimum of one years work experience. Their length of practice ranged from 1 to 14 years, and came from a variety of service sectors.

Through the stories participants shared it became evident that precarious employment had a negative impact on participants’ ability to engage in relationship building, reflexivity and advocacy. Also, precarious employment negatively impacted career satisfaction. It also became evident that resistance to precarious employment became difficult; however, participants still resisted through the use of unions and smaller acts of resistance. Findings highlight the need for the social work profession and social work organizations to challenge the neoliberal norm permanent precarious employment and to advocate for standard employment relationships with social workers.