The Labor Market in Social Work

Specificities of Municipal Public Management in São Gonçalo (RJ)

Abstract

In this article, our objective is to present data relating profile of the labor market for social workers employed by the Municipal Government of São Gonçalo (PMSG, RJ), with particular emphasis on professional characteristics and the structural manifestations of labor market conditions. The analysis focuses on four key variables: working hours, employment arrangements, field of practice, and remuneration. Anchored in the theoretical–methodological framework of historical–dialectical materialism, the study adopts a descriptive, qualitative research design, drawing upon bibliographic, documentary, and field research. For the field component, the research protocol was submitted to Plataforma Brasil and approved by the Research Ethics Committee under Consolidated Opinion No. 7.488.554. Of the 203 social workers identified within the PMSG, 42 participated in the study, responding to a structured questionnaire administered via Google Forms. Findings reveal that the vast majority of participants identify as women (85.7%), with 57% identifying as Black, and 61% not engaged in civic–political activities. The second most reported non-work engagement was religious participation (20%). In terms of educational background, there is a balanced distribution between graduates from public, in-person institutions and those from private institutions offering both in-person and distance learning modalities. Regarding Professional practice, 62% of respondents work within Social Assistance Policy, while 38% operate in Health Policy. Almost half (48%) are remunerated via self-employed service receipts, 67% work a 30-hour weekly schedule, and 52% earn no more than twice the minimum wage. The study concludes that in the last decade has witnessed a deepening precarization of both professional training and labor market conditions for social workers within the PMSG. This is the most apparent in the prevalence of insecure employment arrangements and low remuneration, trends which appear to be linked to the 2017 labor counter-reform and outsourcing legislation. Testimonies from participants further reveal ongoing processes of pauperization within the profession.