Jobs for MSWs who specialize in research, policy, etc.

[Bulan77]

HI all,

If you specialize in research or policy analysis, what type of work are you doing?
Did you need a PhD, or have you considered getting one, in order to improve your career options?
Also, what's your opinion on career options for MSW grads (who specialize in research) in academia vs. industry or government, etc.?

My background: I have an MSW degree. Even though my training focused on research, policy analysis, organizational management, and community capacity building, I don't feel I gained enough skills to feel confident in the workplace. I have more experience in research thanks to my undergraduate degree in psychology, where I took numerous research methods and statistics courses. I also completed an undergrad thesis and masters thesis, and I managed my thesis advisor's research lab for a year. So I feel a little more confident as a researcher, but I'm having trouble finding work in my field, and I'm wondering if I should get a PhD.