ASPRS survey finds hiring in the geospatial industry continues despite high U.S. unemployment rates

 BETHESDA, MD. — Despite an 8.6-percent unemployment rate in the United States, at least 57 percent of the Sustaining Member organizations of the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) are currently hiring for jobs within the geospatial industry. ASPRS recently conducted a survey of 129 ASPRS Sustaining Member career websites, and determined that in the month of November, at least 73 ASPRS Sustaining Member companies/agencies had job postings on their websites that consisted of positions ranging from entry-level jobs to high-level executive positions.

“We are very excited with these statistics,” said Brian Murphy, vice chair of the ASPRS Sustaining Members Council. “While the national and local media continue to saturate the airwaves with reports on high unemployment, we feel that these survey results provide a particularly positive outlook for students and individuals who might be seeking jobs within the geospatial industry.”

ASPRS Sustaining Members consist of private and publically traded firms, academic institutions, non-profit organizations, and government agencies ranging in size from a few individuals to hundreds of thousands of employees. Many of these organizations provide services that include sensor and software development, aerial mapping, photogrammetry, GIS consulting, data processing, photo interpretation, LiDAR surveys, research and development, topographic mapping, teaching, and more.