Social Work's Response to Unemployment: A Time for Decision

Abstract

This paper is an edited version of an address given at the 1980 Annual Meeting of the Queensland Branch of the Australian Association of Social Workers. Its major purpose is to stimulate prosocial behaviour in an organization and among individuals. A perspective on unemployment in Australia is presented and social workers are reminded of some of the consequences of unemployment. It is argued that work is so central to wellbeing that social workers need to reorient themselves and their responses to the sharp increase in unemployment in Australia since mid 1974. While acknowledging the complexity of the problem, social workers are challenged to engage in specific actions in their communities.