Working conditions, health and exhaustion among social workers in Germany

Abstract

The aim of the study is to analyse the working conditions of social workers and their health. The data basis for secondary analysis is the representative 2018 BIBB/BAuA survey of employed persons in Germany. Three hundred forty-one of the interviewed 20,012 employed persons were social workers. They were on average 42.7 years old. Seventy-one per cent of social workers were women. Ten per cent of social workers have officially recognised disabilities. The cognitive and emotional demands were greater for social workers than for other professions. Social workers reported more often than other professions that their job frequently puts them in emotionally stressful situations (23% vs. 12%). The emotional demands were associated with general state of health. Forty-one per cent of social workers often felt emotionally exhausted in the past 12 months (vs. 26% in other professions). This proportion strongly increased with the number of conditions on work intensity. A quarter of the social workers complained about both frequent physical and emotional exhaustion during the past 12 months. Their sickness rate was disproportionately high. These results show occupational health risks and potentials for behavioural and situational prevention in social work. More health promotion, company integration management and risk assessments at work are recommended.