OCCUPATIONAL DIVERSITY AND WORKFORCE DIVERSITY IN THE GEOSCIENCES - WHO REPRESENTS GEOSCIENCE LABOR?

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data on employment in geoscience occupations was examined for the years 1995-2016. Occupations in the geosciences may be subdivided among jobs that require college degrees in geosciences and jobs that do not. While professional geoscience societies primarily serve individuals in geoscience occupations requiring college degrees, there is a substantial geoscience labor force comprised of skilled and un-skilled workers. BLS data indicate that skilled and un-skilled laborers in geoscience occupations comprise at least two-thirds of all geoscience workers.

With respect to minority representation in geoscience occupations, individuals identifying with minority groups are concentrated in geoscience occupations dominated by skilled and un-skilled workers. These occupations include workers in all extractive industries as well as surveying and mapping technicians and water/wastewater treatment plant operators. For example, among workers in the these industries, up to 15% of workers identified as African American or Black and up to 40% identified as persons of Hispanic heritage. Thus, in some years these two demographic groups comprised the majority of persons employed in geoscience occupations yet they have virtually no representation among geoscience professional societies. Professional geoscience societies are rightly concerned about the poor representation of minorities among their memberships and with academic achievement of underrepresented minorities in geoscience degree programs. However, professional geoscience societies should recognize the significant representation of minorities as laborers in the geoscience workforce. Developing an effective strategy to engage these laborers as members of the “geosciences” could significantly enhance both occupational diversity and workforce diversity within our professional societies.