Forestry Job Outlook
For those interested in a career in the forestry sector it is worth
considering what the medium and long term job prospects are. This page
provides a few pointers and links to web sites that specialize in forecasting
job/career opportunities.
First, here are a few quick facts:
 |
undeniably the global economy (esp.
the US economy) is depressed; most sectors of the economy are in or almost
in a recessionary period |
|
however, this is the best time to be
in school since there is every expectation that the economy will be much
stronger in 2 years (i.e. at grad time) |
|
the forestry sector in BC is
expected to strengthen again by 2011/12 (as are many other sectors) |
|
in general, those working in the forest sector in BC
earn a good wage, "more than 20% higher than the average for all industries" (http://www.guidetobceconomy.org/major_industries/foresty.htm) |
|
there are forestry jobs throughout BC (Vancouver
Island-23%; mainland-22%; Okanagan-15%; Kootenay-8%; Cariboo-14%; north
coast-8%; northeast-10%) |
|
for both Canada and the USA, there is a tremendous shortage of
Forest Technologists and Professionals predicted for the immediate and midterm future (due to
retirees and presently
low graduation numbers) |
|
even during the 'tough times' VIU (MUC)
has been able to place virtually all graduates in forestry related jobs
(obvious exceptions are those who choose to alter their career path) |
|
about 25-30% of our grads decide to
complete their Bachelor of Science in Forestry (BSF) degree at
UBC
or
UNBC
after obtaining their diploma with us -
this opens even more job opportunities |
But likely you knew most of this
already. So what about the future? First, let's consider what is
happening south of the border. As the US economy has a significant
influence on the Canadian/BC economy it is worth at least brief consideration.
The Occupational Outlook Handbook,
produced by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, predicts employment
opportunities for all sectors; the excerpts below are for a blend of
Conservation Scientists & Foresters, and Forest & Conservation Technicians for
the decade 2008-2018:
Employment of conservation scientists and
foresters is expected to grow by 12 percent during the 2008–18
decade (http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos048.htm#outlook).
Employment of forest and conservation technicians
is expected to grow by 9 percent (http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos115.htm#outlook).
So, in the US the job outlook for
foresters and forest technicians is
stable with modest to strong growth that is on par with the national average. What about BC? The following information comes
from the
Canadian Occupational Projection System (COPS) report that looks at the job
demand for BC. The report predicts changes in jobs to 2017.
This report states
"major
industry groups that are expected to experience the fastest growth rate over the
ten-year outlook period are Health Care and Social Assistance, Professional,
Scientific and Technical Services and Forestry, Mining, Oil and Gas".
Note that interpreting this report strictly for Forestry
Technologists/Professionals is not straightforward as industry groups
(career sectors) are amalgamated. So we should keep an eye
on the following groupings:
|
Sector: Forestry & Logging - will see a minor
gain of jobs
overall (0.1%, or 280 new jobs), however, replacement jobs (due to
retirees) will be significant, estimated at 5,440 replacement jobs.
Thus the real job opportunity (combining new and replacement
jobs) is estimated at 2.4% on an annual basis.
These numbers provide an indication of the "economic health" of the sector.
However, these numbers primarily include forest and mill workers; forestry
technicians and professionals only comprise a minor component. These
numbers indicate the industry is stable with most job opportunities coming
from replacement jobs. To gain insight into the the employment outlook
for Forest Professionals and Technicians we also need to look at the
education/ skill level and occupational trends.
|
|
Education/ Skill Level: Professional, Scientific
and Technical Services - this group includes technicians & professionals
from a variety of sectors, the estimates of new and replacement
jobs for the decade are 163,370 and 241,180, respectively. The total
is 404,550 job opportunities, or almost half of the total for BC.
This indicates a very strong job market for those with the education
background required for technical and professional jobs.
|
|
Occupational Group: Natural & Applied Science -
2007 jobs in this category totals 143,660. Total job opportunities for
the decade is 69,190. As percent of the current employment, there will
be a 2.4% annual increase (i.e. new jobs) but a 4.8% "job opportunity rate"
if replacement jobs are included. Thus the job market for the natural
sciences is very strong. |
Forestry graduates fit into all three groupings as they
will be providing professional/technical services to the forestry sector. In short, this report does not provide a set of numbers
specifically for forest professionals and technicians, but we can certainly get a sense of the job
potential to 2017. The numbers indicate
|
a stable forestry sector overall
|
|
a diploma or degree in the natural sciences provides access
to a growing employment sector
|
|
there will be a modest increase in new jobs,
but perhaps the important figure to consider is not new jobs but instead
replacement jobs, which outnumber new jobs by a ratio of 2:1
|
Finally, with regards to remuneration, annual salary range for Forest
Technologists in BC is between
$40,000 - 70,000. For professional foresters the salary range is
$50,000 - 93,000.