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Across New Brunswick, social workers are a steady presence in moments when individuals and families need support the most. Yet the work is demanding, and many social workers operate under stressful conditions that only intensified in the years during and the after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite the valuable role they fill, the province continues to face persistent challenges in attracting and retaining enough social workers to meet growing demand. In this context, understanding how the workforce is changing is key to informing future workforce planning.

A new study from DataNB brings together more than a decade of linked administrative data to trace these shifts. By following social workers from graduation through their years registered with the NB Association of Social Workers, the analysis looks at how people enter the workforce, how long they stay, and when they are most likely to step away.

The data reveal a workforce that has grown in size but changed in composition. While more people are registering as social workers, a smaller share may now be working in frontline roles — a shift that matters in a field where direct client work is central to service delivery.

At the same time, exits from active practice have risen since 2019, marking a sustained change from earlier years. These patterns unfold alongside a declining number of Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) graduates since 2020, which places added pressure on recruitment.

The pathways into the profession also vary. Only about half of BSW graduates register within a year of completing their degree, and about two thirds eventually do so. Once registered, most new social workers remain in the profession for several years, but retention is not uniform.

Practicing members and new registrants are more likely to stay in the profession, while those born outside NB face higher risks of leaving. Role type and employment status also shape the likelihood of remaining in the profession or, ultimately, the province.

Taken together, these findings show a workforce that is growing but also shifting — shaped by changing role distributions, evolving working conditions, and the pathways people take into and through the profession.

These insights help clarify where the workforce is expanding, where it is strained, and how recruitment and retention patterns have evolved over time.