Employment

Social and human service assistants held about 352,000 jobs nationally in 2008. More than 65 percent were employed in the healthcare and social assistance industries and almost 24 percent were employed by state and local governments, primarily in public welfare agencies and facilities for mentally disabled and developmentally challenged individuals.

The number of social and human service assistants is expected to grow by nearly 23 percent through 2018, which is much faster than the average for all occupations. As the elderly population continues to grow, the demand for social and human service assistants will expand. This is due in large part to the increased need for social services demanded by this population, including adult day care, meal delivery programs, and support during medical crises. Social and human service assistants, who assist in locating and providing these services, will be needed to meet this increased demand.

More and more social and human service assistants will be needed to provide services to pregnant teenagers, people who are homeless, people who are mentally disabled or developmentally challenged, and people who are substance abusers. Job training programs are also expected to require additional social and human service assistants.

Opportunities are expected to be good in private social service agencies. Employment in private agencies will grow, as state and local governments continue to contract out services to the private sector in an effort to cut costs. The number of jobs for social and human service assistants in state and local governments will grow, but not as fast as employment for social and human service assistants in other industries. Employment in the public sector may fluctuate with the level of funding provided by state and local governments and with the number of services contracted out to private organizations.

Job prospects for social and human service assistants are expected to be excellent, particularly for individuals with appropriate education after high school. Job openings will come from job growth, but also from the need to replace workers who advance into new positions, retire, or leave the workforce for other reasons. There will be more competition for jobs in urban areas than in rural ones, but qualified applicants should have little difficulty finding employment.