Organization–Government Ties and Social Worker Employment Quality During COVID-19 Controls in China

Abstract

Purpose

To examine the impact of China's stringent COVID-19 policies on social workers’ employment quality through the lens of organization–government ties.

Method

Two waves of the China Social Work Longitudinal Study, 2019 (N = 5,934) and 2022 (N = 5,287), were analyzed with multilevel random-effects models. Employment quality comprised job stability, income satisfaction, institutional support, and turnover intention. Organizational-government ties were key predictors.

Results

Job stability, income satisfaction, and institutional support improved post-pandemic, yet turnover intention also rose. Stronger organizational-government ties were associated with higher employment quality and buffered pandemic-period shocks.

Conclusion

While government support provided critical stability and resources, the accompanying administrative demands increased pressure on social workers to leave the profession. Policy should therefore aim to balance state support with professional autonomy, ensuring resource stability while safeguarding clear role boundaries to sustain the workforce.

Keywords

social worker employment quality government-organization ties COVID-19

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