"Earning 3 times more and not working on Saturdays": 1,500 graduates a year - so why are there not enough social workers?
Every year, about 1,500 new social workers finish their studies, but many of them do not reach the public sector, and those who do often drop out within two years. Severe burnout, a salary that does not keep up with the cost of living, and an unimaginable workload push them out. "When I started dreaming about work at night, I realized that was enough."
In Israel, there are about 14 schools of social work, graduating approximately 1,500 students annually. However, many of them disappear from the public system at the very beginning of their careers: only about 60% (around 900 graduates) enter the public sector, and of those, only 28% (about 250 per year) join local authorities.
Even those who do join local authorities find it difficult to stay: between 2015 and 2022, about 40% of social workers employed in municipalities left their positions. At the same time, more than a thousand positions remain unfilled.
"I collapsed, who will take care of the caregiver?"
Hila Kor worked as a social worker in the public sector for about 13 years. Last November, she decided she had reached her limit. "It was hard for me to leave; I saw how great the need for us is," she says. But after numerous stress attacks, chronic physical pain, and a deteriorating mental state, she reached a breaking point. Her central question was: "I collapsed, who will take care of the caregiver?"
Her solution was to leave the public system and start a private practice. Today, she owns a private clinic, treats students in high school, and mentors others. "I earn three times more than I did in a management position in social work," she says. "I work in a more orderly fashion, I manage my own time, and I don't work on Saturdays or holidays."
"The system is on shaky ground"
"It is not clear where the social workers are," says Inbal Harmoni, chair of the Israel Union of Social Workers. "It's a mystery." According to her, the system has been on shaky ground for years. "Burnt-out workers ask themselves, 'Why do I need this?' and go open a private clinic. The money and the investment there are easier."
Data highlights:
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Registered social workers: about 44,000.
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Actually working in the public sector: about 20,000.
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Missing positions in local authorities: about 1,142 (approx. 16% of staffing).
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Turnover within two years: about 40% of those hired.
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Waiting time for mental health treatment (sexual assault): about six months on average.
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Waiting time for contact centers: over 7.5 months.
Salary, workload, and limited services
Why can't the state retain them? The Union of Social Workers points to three main factors: salary, workload, and the difficulty of working within a system that lacks services and solutions. "There is a shortage of services, out-of-home frameworks, and community services, which makes it difficult for workers to fulfill their roles," explains Harmoni.
Kor reinforces this from the patients' perspective: she meets desperate individuals who wait half a year or even a year to receive services. A trap is created: those who cannot afford private care remain dependent on a system suffering from a shortage of manpower and resources.
To this, the workload is added: since October 7, new target populations have been added. According to union data, this translates into meager treatment time: about 20 minutes a week for an elderly person in distress, 19 minutes for a person in poverty, 18 minutes for a person with a disability, and only 9 minutes for a victim of domestic violence.
"When I started dreaming about work at night and woke up in the morning in stress, I realized that was enough," says Kor. "If I don't quit now, something bad will happen to me."
The next struggle: limiting workloads
In 2023, the State Comptroller's report determined that one in eight Israelis receives services from welfare departments, and those numbers have only climbed since. The Union of Social Workers claims this was predictable. About a month and a half after October 7, the union presented the state with a plan worth about 1.5 billion shekels, but it was rejected.
"My jaw dropped," recalls Harmoni, describing a conversation with a senior official in the Budget Department who told her they do not work "looking forward."
Now, the union is marking its next goal: setting a binding ceiling for the number of patients per social worker. "We are facing a big struggle to limit workloads—to take care of the workers, but especially for the Israeli public."
