2025 advocacy piece

7 Untold Stories of New Jersey’s Behavioral Healthcare Workforce The capacity of community-based providers of mental health and substance use treatment and supports is limited by the workforce it employs, a workforce marked by unprecedented vacancies, high turnover and non- competitive wages. Staff continue to carry larger caseloads and more responsibilities due to workforce shortages while recruitment and retention at community-based programs remain most difficult because providers simply cannot compete in the current labor market. One impact of the current shortages is that organizations find it extremely difficult to serve as field placement sites where students can intern to meet the requirements they need to graduate and/or obtain licensure. Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSWs), Licensed Professional Counselors 64k total openings between 2023-2032 Historical employment 1. Growth are new jobs for workers entering the social services occupations, equal to the net occupation change after accounting for workforce exits and occupational transfers. Note that forecast could be impacted by unexpected macro-events (e.g., economic recession). 2. Transfers are jobs that will need to be filled due to existing workers leaving the occupation, either to the same industry or a different one. 3. Workforce exits are jobs that will need to be filled due to existing workers leaving the workforce. 2018 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 2032 Forcasted employment -0.02%p.a. 1.57%p.a. 1 2 4 1 2 4 1 2 4 1 2 4 1 2 4 1 2 4 1 2 4 1 2 4 1 2 4 1 2 4 Over the next 10 years, demand for social services professions will grow 10% YOY on top of growth to replace exits and transfers Source: Lightcast ™ , Bureau of Labor Statistics (LPCs), Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselors (LCADCs), and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFTs) are among the most difficult professionals to recruit and retain, and, given the many critical roles these licensed staff have, organizations are reluctant to add supervision of interns to their responsibilities. The reasons are many, but two stand out. The clinical services of these professionals are in such great demand that allocating hours to supervision directly decreases access to care for those in need. Additionally, supervision is not reimbursed, thereby directly decreasing an organization’s revenue. Providing incentives to providers to be a field placement site would support having clinical staff available for this critical purpose and support the workforce pipeline. 10% 59% 31% Growth (new jobs) Transfers to other occupations Exits 4. Openings refer to the count of jobs, not a count of individual workers, at a given time period. 5. Analysis includes 10 occupations related to social assistance: Marriage and Family Therapists (21-1013); Rehabilitation Counselors (21-1015); Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors (21-1018); Counselors, All Other (21-1019); Child, Family, and School Social Workers (21-1021); Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers (21-1023); Social Workers, All Other (21-1029); Social and Human Service Assistants (21-1093); Community Health Workers (21-1094); Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other (21-1094). Growth (new jobs) 1 Transfer 2 Exits 3 Total Employment 4 Employment in social services-related occupations 5 in New Jersey 2018-2032, thousands New Jersey social servics 5 average annual job openings 4 , 2020-2030, %