The Latino
Social Work Workforce:
A Survey Analysis
By Carmen Ortiz Hendricks, DSW, Associate Professor, Hunter College School
of Social Work
One year ago the Chapter’s Committee on Latino affairs surveyed Latino
members of NASW by sending out a questionnaire to 600 members. The goal was
to learn more about the opinions and concerns of Latino social workers. The
committee received 191 surveys (approximately a 33% return). Findings of the
survey became the genesis of the forum, P’Alante, Moving Forward. Some
preliminary findings of the survey follow:
Ethnicity of Respondents
This can be compared to US Census 2000 in which Latinos identified 26 categories
to describe themselves. Respondents in this survey represent the major Latino
groups in the U.S. namely, Mexican-American, Puerto Rican, Cuban & Dominican.
It is surprising that South American respondents ranked second (13%) among
Latino workers. A national sampling of the Latino members of NASW would most
likely identify the increasing diversity and variability within the professional
ranks.
It is important to consider the major ethic shifts that have occurred within
New York City Latino Communities in just the last 5-10 years, and how the
ethnicities and proportional representation of Latino workers may or may not
correlate with the changing demographics among Latino Communities of NYC.
Furthermore, the profession needs to pay attention to how changing demographics
are reflected among Latinos attracted to the social work profession.
Respondents to the survey were predominantly female (103/54%). While this
is not surprising, this percentage is lower than NASW’s national figures
which indicate that membership is 80% female. In this survey, male workers
are a respectable percentage (30%). This finding may reflect a significant
trend within the NYC Latino social work workforce.
Annual Income
Almost 75% of Respondents reported annual income between $31,000 to $60,000
Level Of Education
According to the findings, the majority of Latino social workers have an MSW
degree with 71% of respondents holding a NYS Certification in Social Work
(CSW), and 45.5% identifying as direct service practitioners.
This data indicates that Latinos are not moving up the career ladder within
the profession in comparable numbers. This finding is further supported by
the overwhelming number of respondents who either do not understand or do
not pursue other credentials within the profession. One gets a picture of
Latinos as very hard working front line workers who are service oriented as
opposed to career oriented. Some cross-tabulations with gender, ethnicity,
and age may yield additional data on the current composition of the Latino
workforce.
Field of Practice
Latinos respondents work in all major fields of social work practice with
the majority working in mental health (32.5%) followed by school social work
(16%), child welfare (11%) and agencies (47.6%) and the public sector (41%)
as well.
Highest Rated Workplace Issue
Respondents were given a range of choices regarding workplace issues or professional
issues, and were asked to rank the most important things they look for in
a work environment. The two most important aspects of the work environment
(each at 21.4%) are:
• Working in settings where regular, open communication and shared decision
making within the agency is encouraged.
• Receiving a salary sufficient to meet personal and household needs.
Third ranked (10%) is a work environment where staff are sensitive to the
cultural and ethnic needs of clients served, and 9% of respondents felt that
an atmosphere of safety and open communication which there is no fear of arbitrary
sanctions was important.
Highest rated Latino Social Work Professional issue
The highest rated most critical issues that would support a positive sense
of participation within the profession included salary (22%), career advancement
(almost 17%) training and education (14%) and leadership and mentorship needs
(11%).
Summary
The findings of this survey suggest that most Latino social workers are staying
in front line positions and are not moving up the career ladder. The data
findings also suggest that, among Latinos, there are proportionately more
male social workers than females relative to the national data on social workers.
Another noteworthy finding is that the ethnicity of Latino social workers
does not reflect the diversity of the city’s population. For example,
Mexican-Americans are one of the fastest growing groups in NYC yet only 3
respondents identified as Mexican-American. This finding has implications
for the Latino social worker who increasingly appears to be working cross-culturally
even if client and worker speak the same language.