Publications

Addressing the Human Services Workforce Shortage: A Guide to Recruitment and Retention Resources

Released Nov. 19, 2007

Existing shortages of human services workers across the Commonwealth, coupled with demographic shifts and anticipated changes in service needs, foretell an incredible challenge for the human services industry.This challenge is of primary concern for the Providers’ Council and its Workforce Committee, which is charged to “research, articulate,and implement processes and procedures intended to assist member organizations in recruiting, developing, and retaining employees. ”Commonwealth, coupled with demographic shifts and anticipated changes in service needs, foretell an incredible challenge for the human services industry.This challenge is of primary concern for the Providers’ Council and its Workforce Committee, which is charged to “research, articulate,and implement processes and procedures intended to assist member organizations in recruiting, developing, and retaining employees.”

Following the release of Help Wanted 2, Council members immediately began to request resources that would assist with implementing the strategies and approaches presented in the report. In response to members’ feedback, the Council commissioned the Donahue Institute to develop a resource guide primarily based on the information presented in Help Wanted 2. The result, Addressing the Human Services Workforce Shortage: A Guide to Recruitment and Retention Resources, catalogs organizations, articles, toolkits, books, and other resources that provide practical advice and instruction for implementing the strategies highlighted in Help Wanted 2.Guide to Recruitment and Retention Resources, catalogs organizations, articles, toolkits, books, and other resources that provide practical advice and instruction for implementing the strategies highlighted in Help Wanted 2.

This guide is meant to serve as a companion to Help Wanted 2 by providing human services agencies with references to resource material uncovered during the literature review. Further, the guide attempts to list resources that provide practical, hands-on advice to implementing recruitment and retention strategies. 

Help Wanted 2: Recruiting and Retaining the Next Generation of Human Services Workers in Massachusetts

Released April 25, 2007

While the human services sector is an essential industry to the Commonwealth — the industry’s more than 100,000 employees serve one in ten residents — anticipated changes in need and demographics in Massachusetts foretell an incredible challenge. This critical workforce analysis prompted thought and accelerated the call for viable solutions.

The Council directed its energy to searching for paths to alleviate the impending crisis. We engaged the Donahue Institute for a second report, this one to look at perceptions of and possible solutions to the main questions that arose from the first report: First, How do we meet our job recruitment needs? And just as importantly, What effective retention strategies can we explore? The research included interviewing national experts and local key informants, developing a questionnaire about turnover and vacancies, conducting a focus group with providers, and surveying the Providers’ Council membership.

On behalf of the Providers’ Council and its members, we hope that this report helps to elevate discussion, encourage engagement in seeking solutions, ameliorate the workforce crisis and restore the promise of the Commonwealth to serve all of our residents regardless of need.

To download the Help Wanted 2 report, please click below. Please ensure you are using Adobe Acrobat 5.0 or higher to view the report.

If you're interested in hard copies of the report, they can be ordered from the Council for a small charge. Please call the Council at 617-428-3637 to order.

The Massachusetts Human Services & Nonprofit Sector Report

Released April 2, 2007

Human services one of fastest growing professions. This new report shows that employment grew more than 18 percent over five-year period.The state’s human service sector added nearly 15,000 jobs to the workforce between 1999 and 2004. It has the highest percentage increase of any sector that added more than 1,000 jobs during that time.The state’s human service sector added nearly 15,000 jobs to the workforce between 1999 and 2004. It has the highest percentage increase of any sector that added more than 1,000 jobs during that time.

This report offers readers quick, useful fingertip facts on the size and scope of the nonprofit sector in Massachusetts. The report contains vital information on the number of nonprofit organizations statewide and a special focus on human service providers. The publication includes financial details on Massachusetts' reporting public charities, by sector, county and locale, and an overview of total contributions from top foundations and corporations throughout the state.

Produced jointly by the Providers' Council and the National Center for Charitable Statistics (NCCS) at the Urban Institute, in cooperation with the National Council of Nonprofit Associations, and with financial support from the Public Consulting Group.

To download the report, click here.

To order a hard copy, call the Council at 617-428-3637.

Help Wanted: The Future of the Human Services Workforce in Massachusetts

Released April 2006

This report sheds light on the human services sector in two seemingly opposed ways: the industry’s strong economic impact on the Commonwealth and its communities; and the current and future workforce crisis facing human services. Workforce issues have led the MCHSP agenda for reform.

Some human services agencies report turnover rates as high as 60 percent for direct care staff. Anecdotal data show a concurrent increase for services coupled with a decline in potential staff; Massachusetts is one of few states with a population currently in decline, a trend that is expected to continue. This report is intended to ferret out the truth and/or misconceptions of the anecdotal data, and to provide a base from which all stakeholders can plan next steps and act accordingly.

On behalf of MCHSP and its members, we hope this report helps to elevate discussion, engage in seeking solutions, ameliorate the crisis and restore the promise of the Commonwealth to serve our most vulnerable citizens.

To download the Help Wanted report, please click below. Please ensure you are using Adobe Acrobat 5.0 or higher to view the report.

If you're interested in hard copies of the report, they can be ordered from the Council for a small charge. Please fill our the order form below and mail it to the Council.