Abstract:

Advancing the professional development of community workers is essential for modernizing grassroots governance and enhancing community governance effectiveness. Drawing on ERG theory，this research analyses the professional development practices of community workers，it is reveals that management systems for community workers have been established across regions through practices such as fixed positions，grades，and remuneration；promoting the integration of vertical and horizontal administrative structures with grid-based management；and conducting categorized and tiered training. However，community workers still face three major challenges in their professional development：survival dilemmas stemming from excessive workloads and insufficient salary incentives; relational dilemmas arising from weak emotional support and low social recognition；and growth dilemmas caused by mismatches between training supply and demand，and limited opportunities for promotion. To address these challenges，it is imperative to advance the professionalization of community workers by：optimizing incentive systems that align input with return，reconstructing the internal and external emotional support networks within the organization，and refining training systems and promotion mechanisms to meet their survival，relational，and growth needs.

Key words: ERG theory, urban community workers, professional development