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The Career Outlook for Social Workers Uncovered

If you’re a student who‘s considering getting a degree in social work, you should be aware of what the career outlook is for this type of work. In this way, you can set yourself up for a future that will be a successful one.

Continue reading to learn more about what you can expect once you’re qualified to get a job in social work, and whether or not it will be easy to find work after you’ve received your bachelor’s degree and your masters in social work from a reputable university.

Outlook for Medical Social Workers

For medical social workers who are going to be working in the healthcare sector, the job outlook is the most promising compared to all other sectors within the field of social work. More specifically, between 2012 and 2022, it’s expected that the number of employment opportunities for qualified social workers within healthcare settings is expected to climb substantially, and much faster than the average job growth.

You can expect that the job growth for medical social workers will be around 27%, and that there will be over 39,000 new jobs available. The biggest growth will occur for those social workers focused on helping geriatrics. Experienced social workers will be in high demand as the aging population requires increasing amounts of healthcare assistance.

Outlook for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers

Cases of mental health disorders, as well as drug addictions, keep climbing, which means more social workers will be needed within the substance abuse and mental health fields. In the next 10 years, it’s expected that job prospects will grow rapidly, and a lot faster than average. In fact, the growth rate is expected to be 23% from 2012 to 2022, and this will result in roughly 26,000 new job positions.

The need for these types of social workers will also increase as greater numbers of offenders are sent to special treatment centers for substance abuse and mental illness, rather than being sent to jail, so look for jobs in those settings, in particular, if you wish to find employment more easily.

Outlook for Child Social Workers

There’s also an increasing need for social services that are directed towards children, teens, and their families. Therefore, the demand for child, school, and family social workers is also expected to grow at a faster than average rate of 15% between 2012 and 2022.

There will be more than 43,000 new job openings specifically for school social workers, child social workers, and family social workers. These professionals will be needed to help parents strengthen their skills in raising their kids, as well as to solve problems within families and prevent abuse and neglect. And as schools enroll greater numbers of students, school social workers will be needed from kindergarten through 12th grade.

Overall, the field of social work will continue expanding over the coming years, so once you’re qualified with an online social work masters degree, it shouldn’t be too difficult to find a great position that will pay well and give you good job security.

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