The job market for geologists is very cyclical. When the mining industry went through a tough time in 1990s, many geologists took to other fields and never came back. Now with mining profitable again, there is a dearth of experienced mid-career earth scientists.
“Geologists from the baby-boomer generation are now reaching retirement age and a disproportionate number of them will leave their employment companies over the next few years. Replacing them, and their accumulated expertise, will be a major challenge for the mining and oil and gas industries” says a leading professor in this field from the US. Universities are not producing enough geoscientists to replace those lost to the industry.
If the downward trend continues, it may become impossible to meet future educational, training and professional needs in this critical area. This is the opinion of Gregory Webb, a senior lecturer and researcher with the Queensland University of Technology's school of natural resource sciences in Australia. He says we should be worried because:geological resources drive a large percentage of a nation’s economy;sustainable development, encompassing environmental protection, depends heavily upon geoscience
The US Department of Labour’s Department of Statistics has stated that employment growth of 18 percent is expected for geoscientists and hydrologists between 2008 and 2018, which is faster than the average for all occupations. The need for energy, environmental protection, and responsible land and water management will spur employment demand.
The minerals and energy exploration industries (or extractive industries) drive a huge part of the economy of a nation that is rich in resources. They depend on professional geoscientists, both geologists and engineers. In addition to export earnings, the extractive industries provide direct tax and royalties to national treasuries.
Employment in management, scientific, and technical consulting services should continue to grow as more geoscientists work as consultants. Many of these consultant geologists work on environmental issues such as checking for contaminants and measuring poisons in ground water and in run-offs from contaminated sites. Employment in these areas has steadily increased because citizens and governments are now more concerned about issues such as pollution, land use and climate change. Legislation rather than commodity prices drives the employment of these geologists.
The ideals that drive the environmental movement are likely to continue and that will support the hiring of geologists and keep the salaries above average for scientific professionals.
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