International Journal of Drug Delivery Technology
Volume 16, Issue 15s, 2026

Labour market conditions for the area of social work

Jeniffer Yadira Palomeque Zambrano1, José Ramón Santana Aveiga2, Félix Fernando Tóala Barahona3, Maritza Elizabeth Quiroz Vinces4, Ariel Alain Sánchez Mendoza5, Jorge Guillermo Cedeño Meza6, Giselle Catherine Zambrano Intriago7

1Milagro State University. Email: jpalomequez@unemi.edu.ec. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-5872-9673

2Escuela Superior Politécnica Agropecuaria de Manabí Manuel Felix López. Email: jrsantana@espam.edu.ec. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3372-5510

3Technical University of Manabí. Email: felix.toala@utm.edu.ec. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9379-9787

4Technical University of Manabí. Email: maritza.quiroz@utm.edu.ec. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3865-7369

5Southern State University of Manabí. Email: alainsanchez961@hotmail.com. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6393-907X

6Technical University of Manabí. Email: jgcmeza@gmail.com. ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4898-3096

7Technical University of Manabí. Email: giselle.zambrano@utm.edu.ec. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-8180-6157/print


ABSTRACT

As the demand for attention to social problems, such as inequality and exclusion, grows, graduates find themselves in a work environment characterized by saturation in the public sector and limited salary conditions. Objective: To describe the labor market conditions for social work professionals- Technical University of Manabí during the academic period April-August/2025. A qualitative field methodology was used, with a non-experimental design and a descriptive scope. Data collection was carried out through semi-structured interviews with 57 students, allowing direct perspectives on their training and job expectations to be obtained. The results reveal that, although graduates are committed to their vocation, they face multiple obstacles, such as lack of previous experience, saturation of the labor market in the public sector, and limited salary conditions, identifying a discrepancy between academic training and market demands. It is concluded that, despite the growing need for attention to social problems, job opportunities for social work professionals in Ecuador are limited and often do not align with their training.

Keywords: employment, inequality, opportunities, training, saturation.

How to cite this article: Zambrano JYP, Aveiga JRS, Barahona FFT, Vinces MEQ, Mendoza AAS, Meza JGC, Intriago GCZ. Labour market conditions for the area of social work. Int J Drug Deliv Technol. 2026;16(15s): 974-979. DOI: 10.25258/ijddt.16.15s.109

Source of support: Nil.

Conflict of interest: None