Geospatial Workforce Trends in the United States

Abstract

Because of definitional problems regarding what is meant by the term “geospatial workforce,” specific reliable data are difficult to obtain about this increasingly important employment sector. This study reviews pertinent literature and U.S. Department of Labor datasets to corroborate the general sense that the geospatial workforce in the U.S. will continue robust expansion well into the next decade. However, because of this strong growth, an imbalance will remain in which demand outstrips supply, particularly in the more sophisticated modeling, design, and research positions, in the geospatial workforce.

GIS&T Education and Training

“…The industry includes basic and applied research, technology development, education, and applications to address the planning, decisionmaking, and operational needs of people and organizations of all types. (GITA and AAG 2006, 8) The New Geospatial Occupations Industry observers long have complained that the Department of Labor, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the U.S. Census were not doing enough to identify and track geospatial employment (Marble 2006, Estaville 2010. In addition to its recommended industry definition, the GITA and the AAG recommended that the Department of Labor establish two new occupational titles immediately: GIS/Geospatial Analyst and GIS/Geospatial Technician (GITA and AAG 2006, 18).…”

Creating an Interactive Web Map

“…The growth of geospatial technology has opened doors for employment in diverse occupations. Unfortunately, the emerging job opportunities in geospatial technology outweigh the supply of a qualified workforce (Estaville, 2010). This problem challenges higher education institutions to develop curricula addressing the knowledge and abilities that professionals in the geospatial technology field will be expected to perform (DiBiase et al 2010;Estaville, 2010).…”

Filling the gap: The geospatial skills shortage in New Zealand

“…Geospatial professionals utilise numerous geotechnological approaches, some of which have a long history in science, while others employ innovative satellite and computer‐based technologies. The umbrella term of ‘geospatial technology’ incorporates skills in spatial modelling, surveying, global positioning systems (GPS), geographic information systems (GIS) and traditional cartography techniques (Estaville ).…”

“…As geospatial professionals can be employed in a range of sectors and in supporting an organisation in a range of roles, there are difficulties in estimating the true number of skilled employees within the workforce – an observation consistent with studies elsewhere (Marble ; DiBiase et al . ; Estaville ). Estimates of the size of the sector are further complicated by a lack of clear professional identity, which means individuals working in the sector will be assigned to other professions in a national census.…”