Human Service Labor Market

Labor plays a neglected role in the operation of social programs. Those who deliver goods and services, and relationships necessary for social well-being, have not been adequately recognized and studied. Social policy has been considered solely as the interaction of values, goals, resources, and programs. Understanding of the place of labor in the human services and of the structure of the human service labor market is limited.For clients of human services, the reception of goods, services, and relationships necessitates relatively close contact with service providers. Determination of welfare eligibility and provision of mental health counseling, occupational therapy, and health care are four of many human services. Individuals who staff human service organizations provide the link between organizational intention and client satisfaction. If they are poorly trained and ineffectual, services delivered will reflect this and will not truly serve. If they are well-trained, this will be mirrored in more effective delivery of services.Beauregard and Indik focus upon a cluster of services, programs, and organizations that provide assistance to the developmentally disabled. Specifically, their study describes the analysis of the labor market for personnel serving the developmentally disabled, and develops projections regarding future demand for and supply of such individuals. By pursuing these two goals, they identify the quantitative and qualitative dimensions of the role of labor in the human services.