Gregory Webb has written an interesting article titled "Growth in Mining Hampered by a Lack of Geoscientists" that is available at OnlineOpinion.com.au. In this article he discusses the current shortage of geologists in
Australia and how this shortage of educated workers is impacting the mineral industries and the environmental and construction industries. There is also a shortage of academic geologists and many university geology programs are being closed because of low or falling enrollments.
In the past year there have been many articles on the web and in print that detail the shortage of geology graduates and the retirement of a very large number of senior geologists who were hired during the "Energy Crisis" of the 1970s. Some schools report students getting very high salaries for summer employment and getting multiple job offers upon graduation. The
American Association of Petroleum Geologists reports these same facts and documents sharply increased salaries for geologists in the petroleum industry.
If industries want to sustain a steady flow of geologists, this may be the time to support university geology departments with endowed professorships and attract geology students with generous scholarship programs.
Read more at
OnlineOpinion.com.au.
Labels: Employment
