A 2006 study of licensed social workers conducted by the NASW Center for Workforce Studies revealed the following about the profession of social work:

• Social workers have advanced educational preparation and practice experience.  A master’s in social work (MSW) is the predominant social work degree for licensed social workers (79% of active practitioners).
• Social workers’ most frequent specialty practice areas are mental health (37%), child welfare/family (13%), health (13%) and aging (9%).
• Social workers spend the majority of their time providing direct client services (96%), followed by consultation (73%) and administration/management (69%).
• With 12% of respondents planning on leaving the workforce in the next two years and the increasing need for social work services, there will likely not be enough social workers to meet the needs of clients.