Report: Social Services Labour Market Research Project

The community social services sector provides the majority of social care available in BC. Community social services touch the lives of every person in this province, from infants to older adults. They include things like supports for people with disabilities, employment programs, supports for those experiencing family violence, prenatal services, childcare, services for families, and youth programs. These services are delivered through contracts with First Nations, contracts with the provincial and federal government, through grants, and thanks to the generosity of corporate and community donors. It is a rich sector, with a long history of both advocacy and service delivery, and it is a vital part of what makes a healthy and prosperous province. However, it is also a sector that has long been plagued by up and down funding cycles, staffing challenges, and misunderstandings about the extent and detail of what “social services” really means. For years, community social services organizations have highlighted the challenges they face finding and keeping the skilled, compassionate professionals that this sector, and this province, needs in order to thrive. Efforts to develop a provincial labour market strategy for the social services sector were hampered by a lack of comprehensive baseline knowledge about the capacity, training, recruitment, and retention issues facing the sector. The Social Services Labour Market Research Project aims to change that.

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