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Geology Employment Trends II

The News Just Gets Better

Feb. 7, 2010 - The employment prospects for geoscientists just keep getting brighter. The following are excerpts from recent publications. They update our original news story ( Nov. 12, 2009) and indicate that the business world is taking notice of the geosciences profession and its potential as an area for job growth.

According to the American Geological Institute (Oct. 2009)

"The majority of geoscientists in the workforce are within 15 years of retirement. Data from federal sources, professional societies and industry indicate the imbalance of the age of geoscientists in the profession. The percentage of geoscientists between 31 and 35 years of age is less than half of geoscientists between 51-55 years old."

With those in the 50-60 year age bracket facing retirement there will be an increased demand for geoscience graduates.

In June 2009 the American Geological Institute reported:

"The 2008-2009 academic year saw a sharp 8% increase in the number of geosciences undergraduates enrolled in U.S. institutions, to a total population of 22,191. This trend was not evident in graduate enrollments, which remained basically flat at 7846 students. These trends reflect statements from departments about sudden increases in undergraduates because of the increased interest in energy and environmental issues. As constrained budgets have limited the number of funded graduate positions, enrollment remains steady but admission has become more competitive."

However, despite the growth in geoscience enrollments the gap between new graduates and those leaving the profession continues to grow.

In July 2009 the American Geological Institute examined salaries in the profession and reported the following:

"Salaries for all geoscience-related professions continue to exceed the national mean salary for all other science occupations in 2008. Petroleum engineering salaries averaged $119,400, and salaries for geoscientists (except hydrologists and geographers) averaged $89,300. Salaries for environmental scientists and specialists averaged $65,280, $1,000 over the national average for other science occupations."

In March, 2009 the New York Times stated:

"The Earth may be two-thirds water, but only about 1 percent of that water is actually usable for human consumption and agriculture. What's more, as the planet warms and the population shifts, even that 1 percent is at risk.

That is why demand for hydrologists has been predicted to grow 24 percent from 2006 to 2016, much faster than the average for all occupations, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Hydrologists study the distribution, circulation and physical properties of water, with hydrogeologists focusing specifically on groundwater. (According to the United States Geological Survey, there is 100 times more water beneath the ground than there is in all the world's lakes and rivers.)

"Hydrologist is a fairly broad term, but generally, any research or problems having to do with water, there's a hydrologist working on it," said Matthew C. Larsen, a hydrologist and associate director for water at the Geological Survey."

Science Magazine (August 2008) reports:

"When hydrogeologists talk about their field, one word keeps coming up: "recession-proof." "....those who study the movement and chemistry of water seeping through rocks and sediment find demand for their expertise almost as steady as the flow of groundwater itself.

"I can't think of any unemployed hydrogeologists," says Roy Haggerty, an associate professor of hydrogeology at Oregon State University, Corvallis. "Environmental consulting companies, which employ about 80% of hydrogeologists in the United States, currently report four jobs for every qualified graduate, according to the American Geological Institute (AGI)."

And finally from the LA Times (Sept. 2009) for those of us in Southern California:

Oxy oil discovery could spark new interest in California's energy potential

"The biggest find in the state in 35 years, somewhere in Kern County, could herald new exploration in California and the U.S., experts say."......

Occidental Petroleum Occidental's engineers may have done it. "The Westwood company revealed in July that it had found the equivalent of 150 million to 250 million barrels of oil and natural gas in an undisclosed part of Kern County using techniques that the oil company's executives would rather not talk about. It was California's biggest find in 35 years. Some experts say it could herald a period of new exploration in California and the U.S. "Certainly this kind of success will send other people back to California to rethink the geology and rethink the theories of the area," said Daniel Yergin, chairman of IHS Cambridge Energy Research Associates."

All of these stories suggest a bright future for geoscientists in the petroleum industry. And with rising metal prices, demand for geoscientists is also increasing dramatically in the mining industry. Hydrologists are in strong demand, as are environmental geoscientists. The following graph best summarizes the geoscience employment picture. It truly is a great time to be a geoscience major!