The environment profession in Australia: a status report

ABSTRACT

The environment profession in Australia is well established, and past conjecture about its future has been positive. As with other professions, and areas of the economy generally, future employment will be influenced by pressures from automation and globalization. Building on earlier surveys of the environment profession, this article presents results of a recent survey to provide information about the characteristics of those in the profession, their thoughts about their professional futures, and the skills that are important in their professional lives. The results indicate a maturing profession, generally with little difference from the earlier surveys, However, while most continue to be positive about their place in the profession, there are signs of shifts in the focus of some of the professional’s work, and their concern about the general support for the profession in the future. Importantly the skills identified as important for the respondents to carry out their environment roles are compatible with skills considered to be critical for future contributions to the economy and society. This suggests environment professionals could take opportunities to promote the profession, and the range of contributions that the individuals can make in the future.

KEYWORDS:

• Environment profession
• survey
• professional skills

Acknowledgements

The co-operation of the three professional networks to distribute the invitation to participate in the survey, and the time to provide such valuable information by those responding, are greatly appreciated. Likewise, constructive comments on the draft of the article by the anonymous reviewers and editor, have enabled valuable improvements to be made.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. This is the category most clearly associated with environmental roles.

2. Subsequently the 129 who offered to provide a profile were sent an email with a suggested list of 14 points to guide the information provided; 29 responded with an anonymous profile. These profiles are not included in this article.

3. This survey used the network of EnviroSource, an organization for ‘people working to positively influence environment and sustainability issues in Australia’ (EnviroSource 2017, no page) and perhaps attracting a greater proportion of community focused people.