Social Workers for Rent: The Contingency Human Services Labor Force

This article explores the use of contingency employment arrangements in the human services within the larger context of the changing labor market. The author identifies and characterizes trends in the contingency market in social work and articulates the various advantages and disadvantages of these arrangements from the vantage point of employing organizations and the professional labor force. The author also raises questions about the accuracy of perceived cost-benefits of these arrangements as well as implications for professional ethics and values, service quality, accountability, and workplace environment. Careful monitoring and evaluation of the use of contingent workers are essential to ensure the quality, efficiency, and efficacy of these alternative arrangements on the provision of human services.