Working conditions and work environment in welfare occupations: comparisons, challenges and opportunities for change

In Sweden and internationally, most welfare occupations are female-dominated jobs characterised by difficulties in working conditions and the work environment.

Like other welfare states, Sweden therefore faces huge challenges regarding the recruitment and retention of workers in different welfare occupations.Against this backdrop, this conference aims to gather work-life oriented welfare researchers in Sweden.

Although we have rather vast knowledge about working conditions and the work environment in different welfare occupations, Swedish researchers are scattered across different disciplines and universities.

Therefore, we lack exchange of research evidence about conditions and trends in different welfare occupations, and a comparative and forward-looking dialogue about the changes necessary to enable welfare workers to stay in the occupation.The conference is multi-disciplinary and welcomes participants, who study working conditions, terms of employment, the work environment and work content in different welfare occupations.

Especially, the conference welcomes contributions focusing on comparisons between different welfare occupations, the challenges facing different welfare occupations in relation to working conditions and the work environment, and opportunities for change in different welfare occupations.

To enable exchange of evidence between Swedish and international researchers, work-life oriented welfare researchers from other Nordic countries and Australia will contribute with their experience through key note speeches and comments on conference contributions.The conference welcomes both papers and oral presentations.

Participants can choose if they will contribute with both papers and oral presentations, or only with oral presentations. Papers are encouraged, because these contributions will receive a discussant.

The conference will gather 50-100 participants and will be organized by the Department of Social Work, Stockholm University.