This survey will provide data on trends in geoscientist employment in Australia during the first quarter (January to March) of 2020. Australia, during the first quarter of 2020, was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic which has placed restrictions on normal work and travel, both within Australia and internationally. These surveys will, during the coming year, help to build a picture of the impacts of the pandemic’s impact on geoscientist employment, exploration and mining activity.
This survey commenced just over ten years ago to help assess the impacts of the global financial crisis. It’s more than unnerving to find our profession and broader community facing another situation with potentially serious economic impacts. A strong exploration and mining industry is an essential element of Australia’s economic well-being. The survey series has demonstrated that employment prospects for geoscientists help to monitor the broader health of the industry.
Unemployment amongst Australian geoscientists, at the end of 2019, was running at a rate of 7.3%, little changed over the second half of the year. The underemployment rate amongst geoscientists was 13.1%.
Long term employment was a major concern, with more than half of the unemployed respondents reporting being out of work or unable to achieve their desired level of work for more than 12 months. One-third of unemployed geoscientists reported being out of work for more than two years.
The survey takes only two or three minutes to complete. You do not need to be an AIG member to contribute. No data that could personally identify respondents is collected. Contributions to the survey are required from both employed and unemployed geoscientists to ensure the relevance of results. Your completing the survey really helps to make a difference to the standing and knowledge of our profession.
The survey will be open for contributions until 1 May 2020. Every contribution adds to the reliability of the survey results.
Follow this link to complete the survey.
Sincere thanks in advance for your continued support of the survey series.
