The Influence of Social Workers’ Job Perception-Based Competency Fit on Job Experience : Focusing on Job Satisfaction and Job Stress Lee Mi-rim Advisor: Prof. Park Hyung-john Department of Social Welfare, Graduate School of Social Welfare, Gwangju U...
The Influence of Social Workers’ Job Perception-Based Competency Fit on Job Experience : Focusing on Job Satisfaction and Job Stress Lee Mi-rim Advisor: Prof. Park Hyung-john Department of Social Welfare, Graduate School of Social Welfare, Gwangju University The purpose of this study is to understand the effect of job awareness-based competency suitability of social workers on job satisfaction and job stress. This suitability is defined as the degree of agreement between the perceived importance of the job and the perceived competency of the worker. Based on the concept of person-job suitability, this study explores how competency suitability affects major job performance closely related to organizational performance and social welfare service quality, and further suggests directions for human resource management and practical improvement strategies within social welfare organizations. For this study, data were collected from the 2023 Social Workers Statistical Yearbook, jointly published by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korean Association of Social Workers. A total of 3,565 social workers were included in the analysis. Using STATA 17.0, frequency analysis and descriptive statistics were conducted to identify the general characteristics of the respondents. Independent-sample t-tests and one-way ANOVA were performed to examine differences in competency fit according to sociodemographic, job, and organizational factors. Reliability analysis, Pearson’s correlation analysis, and the Variance Inflation Factor (VIF) were also used to test internal consistency and assess potential multicollinearity. Finally, multiple regression analysis was conducted to verify the influence of competency fit on job satisfaction and job stress, while controlling for variables such as gender, education level, age, position, and work experience. The results of the study are as follows. First, job recognition-based competency suitability had a significant positive effect on job satisfaction. Second, it had a significant negative effect on job stress. Competency suitability was calculated using two different measurement approaches, but both produced consistent and statistically significant results. This confirms that competency suitability is a key factor in increasing job satisfaction and reducing job stress of social workers. Based on these findings, this study proposes several things as follows. First, social welfare institutions should regularly evaluate competency suitability and improve workers' personnel management and work environment. Second, it is necessary to implement a competency development program through personalized education. Third, efforts are needed to strengthen the system that protects and supervises clients from violence in the social welfare work environment. Keywords: social workers, job perception-based competency fit, job satisfaction, job stress, Person-Job Fit (P-J Fit), social welfare organizations