On July 21, 2021 a remarkable podium discussion took place: “Future Trends of Social Work” hosted by the UNESCO Chair in Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment.
The podium discussion brought together different perspectives to elaborate to explore the upcoming Future Trends of the Social Work Profession. Dr. Bhavani Rao said, “As physicians are concerned with physical problems of their patients, we at Amrita consider social workers as the doctors of social issues. Therefore, the profession is and will be a significant pillar of a functioning society.”
The Special Guest at the discussion was Prashant Nair (IAS).
Other guest included:
The context of the discussion includes the following:
Social workers demonstrated the importance of their profession throughout the global pandemic crisis, and we anticipate an increase in job opportunities in the social work profession. In fact, – according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the expected growth of the social work profession between 2019 and 2029 is 13 per cent ( whereas the average growth of all occupations is 4 per cent). This trend shows that social work is one of the fastest-growing professions in the United States and Europe.
Due to this immense growth rate and today’s global challenges, social work has been adapting to meet the demands of the shifts in society’s needs. This type of degree offers many more job possibilities than previously imagined – from top management positions to hands-on work with clients and patients.
References:
[1] Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Social Workers (visited June 16th 2021).
[2 ]Boyce, T., & Brown, C. (2019). Economic and social impacts and benefits of health systems. WHO Europe: Copenhagen.
