Show caption
HideUnderstand Geoscience Employment Trends
Written by Carol Ormand, based on ideas compiled from the 2007 workshop on the Role of Departments in Preparing Future Geoscience Professionals.
Future Geoscience Workforce Needs
According to these experts, the future of geoscience looks promising.
AGI Geoscience Workforce Program Reports
AGI's reports include the Status of the Geoscience Workforce 2009 report, based on original data collected by AGI as well as from federal data sources, professional membership organizations, and industry. The report integrates all of these various data sources into a comprehensive view of the human and economic parameters of the geosciences, including supply and training of new students, workforce demographics and employment projections, to trends in geosciences research funding and economic indicators.
Geoscience Workforce Trends
Roman Czujko, from the Statistical Research Center at the American Institute of Physics, gave this presentation at the 2007 Workshop on The Role of Departments in Preparing Future Geoscience Professionals. Jobs are available in the geosciences, and geoscientists report a high level of job satisfaction.
National Recruitment Trends and Future Drivers
Chris Keane's gave a presentation at the 2007 workshop on Strategies for Successful Recruitment of Geoscience Majors detailing the current trends in geoscience employment, as well as what skills employers are looking for.
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GeoCareer Futures: Myriad Opportunities, Complex Pathways
Chris Keane of the American Geological Institute made this presentation at the 2007 Workshop on The Role of Departments in Preparing Future Geoscience Professionals. In the coming decade, demand for trained geoscientists, particularly in the private sector, is projected to exceed supply by a significant margin.
National Perspectives on the Geosciences
This presentation was given by Christopher Keane of the American Geological Institute at the the 2005 Workshop Developing Pathways to Strong Departments for the Future. Using AGI data, he provides a snapshot of the "health" of the geosciences in academia, industry, and government, measured via factors such as economic growth and public perceptions of the relevance of the geosciences.
Resources
AGI's Geoscience Currents
The American Geological Institute publishes online news reports related to geoscience workforce issues, based on up-to-date data they've collected. Subscribe to receive email delivery. Past issues have focused on topics such as geoscientist salaries, the increase in geoscientists' salaries over the past decade, and the fields in which geoscientists in the mining, petroleum, and research industries earned their highest degrees.
Geoscience Employment Data
- U.S. Geoscience Salaries Continue Upward Climb, from the American Geological Institute. These data show the rapid increase in geoscientists' salaries from 1999-2008, including data by subdiscipline.
- Starting Salaries for Geoscience Graduates, from the American Geological Institute. These data are from 2007, showing starting salaries for geoscientists with Bachelors, Masters, and PhD degrees.
- Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2005, from the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics. These data are for geoscientists, except hydrologists and geographers. They also do not include teachers and professors. For data on those occupations, see the Department of Labor's list of occupations.
- Employment Statistics for Geosciences in the U.S. includes geoscience employment data by employment sector, by geographic region, and more. Data from AGI.
- Geoscience Careers Forecast from the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.
References and Additional Readings
- Interactive Exploration Solution, Inc., 2009. Where Have all the Geoscientists Gone... and Why it's a Big Problem for the Energy Sector
This article asserts that the oil and gas industry's biggest challenge is insufficient human resources to meet society's appetite for hydrocarbon resources.
