There are a number of reasons to pursue a career in human services. Besides helping people and making a difference in your community, a career in human services also has a number of advantages that provide job security and long-term career growth. There are a number of built-in advantages that make the human services a strong career choice even in tough economic times. I discuss some of these aspects of the human services field that make it a good option for long-term job growth.
1. Mandated Positions
Many jobs in the human services field are mandated
positions. Services such as child/adult protective services and mental health/intellectual
disability case management are often required by local and state government. These
positions tend to be on the stressful side but are always in demand. These
positions also seem to increase in demand as more children in early childhood
development programs transition to long-term case management services. These
programs also provide lifelong services from age 6 and up. The constant influx
of new cases into the system increases the demand for new case managers in
order to maintain manageable caseloads.
2. Jobs cannot be
replaced by Robots
Human service jobs are less impacted by automation. The
human services field requires a specialized skill set that cannot be replicated
by machines. Services such as counseling, substance abuse treatment, and
service coordination cannot be replaced by automation. Even with the emergence
of online counseling, it still requires a human at the other end to provide the services. Of course jobs that provide direct care to
people with disabilities will always be in demand.
3. High Demand even in
Tough Economic Times
Demand in human services increase when the economy
struggles. Often during recession, people who have never applied for financial assistance
such as TANF and SNAP see a significant increase. The increase in new applicants
in addition to the normal workload creates a high demand for more eligibility
workers and benefits counselors.
There is a significant amount of evidence to suggest that economic recession can have a major impact on mental health.
An increase in clinical services also creates a high demand for counselors,
therapist, psychologists, and mental health case managers.
4. More Stable Funding
Many positions within the human services field are reimbursed
through Medicaid or other form of government money. In many situations, the
money for certain programs are already set aside and are not impacted by recession.
Therefore, jobs in the human services
field are readily available while jobs that depend on a thriving economy such
as retail or sales often struggle during a recession.
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