AMEBC_HRSession_AR

THE STATE OF EMPLOYMENT,
& WAYS TO ENGAGE
HR Sessions

85
Employment / Engagement
www.stratageodata.com

Let’s Start With Some Facts
We talk a lot about the effects on
corporations and the shareholder,
but what about the individuals
within the workforce?
• Figures based on an independent survey by Strata GeoData
Services, with 24 broad questions.
• Over 100 replies from industry workers, both employed and
unemployed
• Covered all age ranges from 18 to 65+
• Covered all levels of education
• Covered a variety of professional designation categories

Q. Should we be
genuinely concerned
about a future shortage
of skilled people?
Here is a group of 100
people and they represent
respondents to the
survey.

These 100 people have a
variety of levels of
seniority and
professionalism.
GIT / EIT: 21%
PGeo / PEng: 44%
No Designation: 35%
Orange: GIT / EIT Blue: PGeo / PEng Red: No designation

Of these 100 people, a
majority are currently not
employed within a
geology-related ﬁeld.
Employed: 46%
Unemployed: 54%
Currently Employed
Unemployed

Who has left the industry
for a more stable career,
including those who are
planning to leave soon if
things don’t improve?
Unemployed - Leaving: 60%
Currently Employed
Unemployed

So what does our future
work force look like?
We have already lost a
third of people.

But it is not over yet.
What is the trend
continues through 2015?
We could lose 56% of our
pre-recession workforce.
Can we have a successful
recovery with that level of
loss?

Q. What do you think has
driven the downturn in
our industry?
Most agree that the
ﬁnancial markets are the
major cause, but the next
highest responses blamed
poor management and a
fear of spending money.

-85

Q. How supported do
geoscientists and
engineers feel from
CEO’s and Managers? Is
there empathy for the
situation?
The majority of
respondents (employed
and unemployed) feel that
CEO’s and Managers are
dispassionate to individual
struggles.
47% Negative
19% Positive
34% Neutral

Q. Is the support any
better from professional,
industry-related
associations?
Again, the majority of
respondents felt that
associations such as APEG
and AME BC were falling
short and not supporting
fee-paying members
sufﬁciently.
53% Negative
9% Positive
38% Neutral

Q. How much are
‘unemployed’ people
earning from non-
industry related work?
Half of respondents are
earning less than $1000
gross per month in
alternative work, which
makes affording courses
and conferences
impossible. Before the
downturn, 67% earned
$5000 or more.
51%<$1000
(67% earned >$5000)
Post Recession
28%$1000-$2000
21%$2001-$5000
Pre Recession
= $1000 gross income per month

Q. What are the most
important factors for
employees in their jobs?
Perhaps surprisingly, only
11% stated that money
was the most important.
Long term prospects and
training (i.e. stability)
were the top
requirements, although
these seem at odds with
the industry cycles.
31% Long Term
Prospects
13% Management
Team
13% Training

Q. Is this the only survey
completed in 2014?
No. Stratum Market
Research released their
report in December 2014
based on government
ﬁgures.
It shows an aging
workforce with little
succession planning in
what they term as ‘a
demographic time bomb’.
Only 1% feel the industry is
well prepared for the
demographic timebomb
Only 28% of organizations
have succession strategies
in place
Only 54% think leadership
development schemes for
grads are important

-85%

We have an amazing
opportunity now to rebuild!
• We need to listen to these
surveys and learn from what
is being said.
• As we start to rebuild our
industry, we should take into
account the necessary
changes to ensure succession
and employee engagement.
• Companies, Associations and
Government need to learn
to bend and ﬂex with the
economic cycles to retain
skilled labour.

So what can the Industry
do to help stop bleed?
We have the evidence, so
we must now ﬁnd ways to
reach out and engage
people in a way the suits
everyones budgets. Talks,
seminars, show-and-tell
and even employing on a
temporary consulting
level.
Think you can’t afford it?
77% feel exposure to technology and education
would beneﬁt them during the downturn

Fulﬁlling A Need: Strata
GeoData Workshops
Established SGDS Workshops to
help under-employed geologists
retain skills, learn new ones and
network. Now have over 150
members at all levels.
Found jobs (temp & perm) for
some members; most of all, kept
them ENGAGED.
This has been a successful self-
funded sideline despite an 85%
drop in income.
What could an industry think-tank
achieve?

-85%Personal Drop in Income

What could a company
offer to help?
• Free seminars on
projects / geology in your
empty boardrooms
(increases company
visibility too).
• Attend networking
events, especially talking
to graduates.
• Donate time, money,
space and unwanted
equipment to SGDS!

How can the individual help
themselves?
• Stay positive & drive change!
• Network through social media & in
person at events (i.e. Mining For
Beer)
• Build a great LinkedIn proﬁle
• Find cheap / free courses and
seminars; they are out there!
• Volunteer - places such as the
Paciﬁc Museum of the Earth @
UBC.
• Be a role model! Mentor others!
• Try to learn new skills, either
physically or through education.

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