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As we approach World Social Work Day, the Taub Center is publishing data on the demographic, educational and occupational characteristics of social workers in Israel and the profession’s centrality in Israel’s welfare system. In addition, data is being presented that describes the constraints and obstacles faced by social workers prior to October 7th and which still persist today. Shavit Ben-Porat (Madhala) and Prof. John Gal, who are researchers at the Taub Center, propose policy directions that can facilitate the work of social workers in Israel, enabling them to better carry out their tasks and to provide accessible and high-quality social services.
The welfare service system in Israel suffers from under-budgeting, a shortage of skilled manpower, and unequal distribution of resources among cities.
The expenditure of the Ministry of Welfare and Social Security stood at NIS 12.5 billion in 2022. According to the estimates of the Taub Center researchers, an additional allocation of about NIS 6 billion shekels is needed by the welfare system in order to ensure an appropriate level of services. In other words, there is a need to increase the current expenditure by about 50%.
Significant disparities exist among local authorities in the allocation of resources to welfare services provided by their social service departments. The average annual expenditure per served individual in cities ranked as Cluster 1 (the lowest) is less than half of that in cities ranked as Cluster 9 or 10. These disparities are related to both a city’s own funding sources and the matching arrangement.
The situation is just as bleak with regard to the filling of social worker positions. In June 2023, there were 747 unfilled positions for social workers in the local authorities’ social service departments. In municipalities with the lowest socioeconomic ranking (Cluster 1) where social distress is particularly high, the vacancy rates are even further away from the national average. Due to the war and increased needs, the Ministry of Welfare and Social Security has increased the number of positions it partially funds to 370, and the number of unfilled positions now stands at about 900.
The majority of workers in the social work field are women
As of 2024, there are over 44,000 registered social workers. In 2020, Jewish women comprised 78% of all registered social workers, while Jewish men constituted 11%. Arab social workers comprised 11%, with a similar gender distribution. The main sectors in which registered social workers are employed are local government and welfare services, accounting for 40% of the total. An additional 30% are employed in the education system, the healthcare system, and public organizations such as the National Insurance Institute.
The average wage of social workers is lower than the average wage in the economy
Salary level is a significant barrier in hiring new social workers, especially in the social service departments in the local authorities. Even after 8–10 years of work experience, the average wage of a social worker is lower than the average wage in the economy, and also lower than that of other professions. The wage agreement signed with them in 2022 included an increase in a social worker’s starting salary and a raise for all social workers, with an emphasis on improving the wage increase mechanism during the course of their careers, even for non-managerial positions. Since the agreement went into effect (only the first phase has been implemented so far), the income level of social workers has improved somewhat, but it still remains low relative to other professions.
Monthly gross average salary, according to number of years since completing a bachelor’s degree in social work, 2021
Note: Average monthly gross salary per salaried position in Israel. Data is for 2021, prior to the signing of the wage agreement with the social workers.
Source: Avodata website (except for average wage data in the economy which is according to the CBS)
Despite the low pay and heavy workload, the social work profession continues to attract young people. Over the past two decades, there has been a significant increase in the number of graduates in social work. In 2019, 1,472 students completed their undergraduate studies in social work, as compared to only 850 in 2000, a 73% increase. In the past decade, their number has increased by about one third.
During the war, the population in need of assistance from a social worker grew significantly – in the hotels housing the evacuated, in treatment centers, and in various settlements throughout the country. The Taub Center researchers suggest two main steps to improve the situation:
- Filling positions and adding new ones: Currently, there are about 900 unfilled positions. Immediate action is needed to fill the vacancies in social service departments in the local authorities. In addition, the number of social worker positions needs to be increased across all social service systems, with the goal of ensuring continuous care at a reasonable level for welfare service recipients: approximately 885 new positions for social service departments; about 300 positions for the healthcare system to treat those who were mentally or physically harmed in the massacre or the war; about 110 positions to provide services within the framework of the National Insurance Institute and the Ministry of Defense; and about 50 community social workers who can contribute their experience to rebuilding devastated communities in the Gaza periphery. In total, approximately 2,250 social workers need to be recruited to social service systems in coming years.
- Recruitment and retention: Efforts should be concentrated on recruitment and retention. Possible steps to accomplish this include encouraging the mobilization of social workers, offering incentives to work within the national welfare service system, increasing wages through early implementation of the second phase of the wage agreement, and providing regular on-the-job training for all social workers.
Shavit Ben-Porat (Madhala), one of the authors of the research, stated that, “Following the events of October 7th and the war, hundreds of thousands of additional individuals who are in need of professional support and assistance have been added to the workload of social workers. In order for them to provide adequate support, a significant addition is needed in the budget allocated to the social services system and in the number of social workers in the national welfare service system.”
The Taub Center for Social Policy Studies in Israel is an independent, non-partisan socioeconomic research institute. The Center provides decision makers and the public with research and findings on some of the most critical issues facing Israel in the areas of education, health, welfare, labor markets and economic policy in order to impact the decision making process in Israel and to advance the well-being of all Israelis.
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