Are There Different Worlds? A Preliminary Study on Stratification of Social Work Labor Market in Taiwan

• Main Authors: Tsai Han Yu, 蔡涵宇
• Other Authors: Ku Yeun Wen
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2007
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/44020620406605428201

碩士 === 國立暨南國際大學 === 社會政策與社會工作學系 === 95 === The high leaving and turnover rate of the front-line social workers has been existing for a long time. Although workforce of social workers seem sufficient to satisfy demands of social work labor market in Taiwan, because of the increasing social work departments in universities. Truly problems behind unstable workforce are not only the ‘number’ of workforce, but also the ‘quality’ of working conditions. It is not a news for that a freshman with enthusiasm about social work engages into this labor market but leave with disheartenment. This is the reason for the researcher to be curious and concerned with social work labor market. However, there are actually some differences between varied work fields of social workers. Are all they will produce unequal feelings? This is another phenomenon that researcher want to explore. Therefore, the purposes of this study are: 1) to understand working situations of those front-line social workers in different work fields; 2) to discuss the question if there is a phenomenon of stratification existing in social work labor market; 3) to figure out a general picture of this labor market; and 4) to offer some suggestions helpful for social work and welfare agencies to draw up their schemes about employees. Deep and plentiful information is necessary for achieving these purposes. This study adopts qualitative research strategy to collect data by in-depth interview. A group of 12 front-line social workers, who work separately in the government, private social welfare agencies or organizations, public owned but private run institutions, and hospitals, were interviewed with their current working conditions and career expectations. The findings are as follows: 1.Working conditions of front-line social workers: workers from different work fields confront the same problems — first, inadequate understanding and stereotypes from people that have accumulated massive pressures and over-expectations on social workers; and, second, insufficient workforces result in overloading and lack of time and space to relax their stresses. 2.Labor stratification: the traditional stratification with inequality does not occur in those workers’ minds, but there are six common requirements of so called ‘ideal job’: 1) large-sized agency or organization; 2) well-functional institution; 3) liberty to execute professional judgment; 4) good working conditions; 5) to be recognized as a profession; and 6) stability. If we exclude the unequal implications in stratification and connect it with six common requirements of ideal job, it might explain the social work labor market by a new type of stratification. 3.General picture of social work labor market: following above discussion, the researcher lies down an awl to figure out a simple diagram as to indicate the structure of social work labor market in Taiwan, implying not only the gap between opportunity and expectation, but also to explain personal mobility trend in this labor market. In conclusion, we have preliminary understanding as follows: 1) among front-line social workers, the feeling of stratification has not product within yet, but it does emerge from contacting with people and other professions; and 2) besides several organizational factors, inadequate identity of social work is the origin. Finally, according to these research findings, we propose some suggestions about professional supervision, on-the-job training, labor division of work contents, and for further study in the future.