Market demand for counsellors and other professionals: 1984-1990

Abstract

Despite rapid growth in the number of counsellors, almost no data are available concerning labour market demand, and the expectations of employers. This study surveyed 6298 positions available to counsellors, psychologists, social workers and occupational therapists in the state of New South Wales during the years 1984-1990. Over this period the demand for counsellors grew by 148%, a figure which far exceeded that of psychologists, social workers or occupational therapists. Only the demand for community mental health workers increased at a faster rate. The employment base for counsellors was concentrated in community health, hospital, welfare, corrective services and education. The main duties of counsellors were in counselling, community education and liaison, program development, drug and alcohol services, family case work, group work, assessment and testing, individual case work, and staff development and education. Counsellors were distinguished from psychologists and other health professionals by the emphasis placed on counselling, program development and the provision of drug and alcohol services. The number of advertised duties expected of counsellors increased by 29% over the six years, and there was an increased demand for the skills with which counsellors were identified. The demand for prior work experience and a postgraduate qualification also increased over time, whilst there was a decline in the proportion of senior positions. The results are discussed in terms of the need for the counselling profession to be more market oriented, and for certain critical employment-related skills to be incorporated into the education of counsellors.

Employers' and senior psychologists' expectations of the educational coverage and skills of four-year educated psychologists

“…Given how central research skills and statistics are to the core competencies of psychologists, it is disappointing that a low priority was attached to this by employers, and to a lesser degree by professional psychologists. To some extent this reflects an apparently common view amongst employers that six-year trained psychologists shoul d undertake research, whilst those with four-year training should be in-Professional Issues volved in direct service delivery (Franklin et al, 1994). Strangely this is actually the reverse of the current educational objectives for the first and second degrees.…”

“…Many observed that this explained the apparently poor initial preparation of psychologists for the workplace, and the reason new graduates in particular experienced considerable difficulty in initially obtaining employment in areas other than research. The number of jobs reserved for psychologists are declining, and psychology graduates are increasingly having to compete with other professionals (Franklin et al, 1994). Social workers, occupational therapists and welfare workers normally spend 100 to 150 days of their training in a variety of placements, whilst nurses routinely spend many months in hospital and community settings.…”

“…5, No. 1,1995 for psychologists (Franklin et al, 1994). The list of subject areas and skills was piloted in order to ensure that they were, understandable to both employers and psychologists.…”

“…For example, in a study of Melbourne University Honours students Mullaly, Kelly and Wearing (1985) found that an absolute majority of students reported that they were poorly prepared for all areas of employment other than tertiary teaching and research. This is an unfortunate narrowness since the same study found that only 11.5% of honours graduates went into research-related jobs, and a recent study of employment prospects found that only 1.3% of advertisements for psychology graduates were in the area of teaching and research (Franklin, Gibson, Merkel-Stoll, Neufeld & Vergara-Yiu, 1994). The APS has recently circulated draft course accreditation guidelines for four-year psychology courses (Franklin, 1995).…”

More Than Just Counselling: Australian Counsellor Job Advertisement Trends

“…It also recognised increasing trends with some client groups, including ethnic minorities and Indigenous people. The authors recommended that education providers pay attention to employer and political trends and ensure graduates are prepared for expectations of the modern marketplace (Franklin et al, 1994).…”