Trends in the environment profession in Australia: a twenty-first century report

ABSTRACT

Over many decades the environment profession in Australia has evolved into a substantial and diverse workforce. There are many indications that environment professionals provide valued services to Australian society, and their involvement will be increasingly sought. To gain an understanding of characteristics of these professionals and their roles leading into the mid-twenty-first century, a survey was undertaken in 2022. This is built on earlier surveys of the environment profession, so that collectively the results provide some longitudinal information and an indication of trends. This article reports these results, covering participants’ general and educational background, current position and overall career situation, generic and specific skills used and thoughts about the environment/sustainability sector. Broadly, the analysis indicates an increasing breadth of the profession, the skills needed and the challenges, with related opportunities, foreseen. Overall, participants continued to express positivity about their profession and potential to build on community and governmental support for issues associated with environment/sustainability.

KEYWORDS:

• Environment profession
• survey
• professional skills
• Australia

Introduction

While the environment profession would be considered to be recent, compared with those like law and engineering, it now has a recognisable history. With its evolution over a generation, the range of positions filled by environment professionals and associated expectations held for them have grown. Now, given the current recognition of critical environmental issues, especially global warming, it is important to understand what environment professionals offer to society, both currently and potentially for the future.

It could be proposed that with the founding of the Environmental Institute of Australia and New Zealand in 1987 the environment profession was established in Australia and subsequently in New Zealand. However, actions in relation to environmental management in Australia have a long history, whether by Indigenous Peoples or after the 1780s by immigrants (for example Doyle 2001; Mulligan and Hill 2001; Pascoe 2018). Historically, environmental management has been needed for a range or reasons, through formal government systems or concerned individuals. Into the twenty-first century the need for such management is increasing as indicated by the 2021 Australia State of the Environment Report with its overview that:

the state and trend of the environment of Australia are poor and deteriorating as a result of increasing pressures from climate change, habitat loss, invasive species, pollution and resource extraction. Changing environmental conditions mean that many species and ecosystems are increasingly threatened. (Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment 2021, no page)

These pressures have been evident for many years, as reported in earlier State of the Environment Reports, and in the 2020s there has been increasing concern expressed to better manage our environment. Internationally, young people have been heavily involved in demonstrating their concerns (e.g. Lowery and Banjo 2023). Similarly in Australia, responses from over 18,000 young people, aged 15-19, to Mission Australia’s Youth Survey 2022, showed:

51.0 per cent identified (the environment) as one of the most important issues in Australia compared with 38.0 per cent in 2021 and 29.8 per cent in 2020. 25.5 per cent of young people were personally extremely or very concerned about climate change. (Mission Australia 2022, 4)

These concerns are also found across a substantial section of the broad Australia community. For instance, Quickey (2021, 4) reported that concern about climate change was at a high level: ‘three-quarters (75 per cent) of Australians are concerned about climate change’. Further, support for renewable energy technology was strong, noting that ‘over two thirds (68 per cent) of Australians  …  (thought government needed to do more to increase electric vehicle uptake, and) the majority of Australians would consider electrifying their households and vehicles’. Overall, these surveys indicate a trend where Ipsos (2020, no page) suggests:

The Environment is now clearly the top issue facing Australia and, while the bushfire events created a recent surge in our collective worry, the truth is that the tide of concern has been on the rise for the past couple of years.

Similarly, the COVID-19 pandemic, another environmental challenge for Europeans at least, has been seen to go ‘hand in hand with a positive shift in public awareness of nature-related topics’ (Rousseau and Deschacht 2020, 1149).

Over three decades the journal Australasian Journal of Environmental Management and others have published the experiences and insights of many who have contributed to the understanding of environmental management. Initially, they may not have operated under the banner of environment professional, but more recently this concept has become better recognised, as discussed by Thomas (2019). However, explicit understanding of what is meant by that title has taken time to tie down, especially since the profession is seen to include a broad, and expanding, range of roles (Thomas 2022). Providing a context for defining the profession and writing in relation to the development of the environment profession with reference to Australia and New Zealand, Anderson et al. (2014, 141), have suggested that ‘environmental practitioners are principled custodians of (the broad accumulated environmental) expertise and wisdom’. Others have sought to articulate the evolving role of these practitioners, who often have been associated with the sciences. For example, the research of Bootsma and Vermeulen (2011, 163) found that, at least in the context of the Netherlands, ‘environmental science graduates have a fairly strong position on the labour market. They are employed in a diverse range of functions and working sectors, including consultancy agencies, research institutions, governmental organizations and NGOs’. Similarly, referring broadly to North America, Bouchrika (2023) focused on the employment of environmental scientists and specialists. However, an additional observation indicated a broad range of opportunities for environmental positions, including environmental writers, urban planners, emergency management directors, post-secondary teachers and environmental lawyers.

Early into the twenty-first century Eren, Richardson, and Denniss (2010, 2) had commented ‘despite a great deal of enthusiasm about green jobs, there has been surprisingly little interest in what the concept actually means’. A decade later Stanef-Puică et al. (2022) still found there was no clear definition of green jobs. Yet, in the Australian context, for some time the Australian Bureau of Statistics (2022) has maintained a job classification for Environmental Scientist (category no. 2343), with sub-classifications such as Conservation Officer and Environmental Consultant. While emphasis on science is implied, descriptions of some roles suggest activities that are not specifically science-related. As indicated in this 2022 data, reported in Labour Markets Insights (Australian Government 2023) and summarised in Table 1, these Australian Bureau of Statistics categories encompass the range of ‘expertise and wisdom’ suggested by Anderson et al. (2014).

Table 1. Overview of environment professionals.

Category	Role	No.	F/T %	F %	Average age	Main industry
Conservation Officers (234311)	Develop and implement programs and regulations for protection of fish, wildlife and other natural resources	4,200	76	47	39	Public administration and safety (57%)
eConsultant (234312)	Analyse and advise on policies guiding design, implementation and modification of public or commercial environmental operations and programs	3,600	75	41	39	Professional, scientific, technical services (60%)
Environmental Engineers (233915)	Assess the impact on air, water, soil, noise levels around engineering projects; plan and design equipment and processes for treatment and safe disposal of waste material; assess what may cause long-term problems for the environment	1,300	82	32	36	Professional, scientific, technical services (57%)
Environmental Health Officers (251211)	Develop, enforce and evaluate environmental health policies, programs and strategies to improve health outcomes; oversee the implementation and monitoring of environmental health legislation	3,600	76	54	42	Public administration and safety (55%)
Environmental Managers (139912)	Manage development and implementation of environmental management systems within organisations; identifying, solving and alleviating environmental issues, (eg pollution, waste treatment) in compliance with environmental legislation to ensure corporate sustainable development	2,300	86	35	42	Public administration and safety (27%)
Other Environmental Scientists (234399)	Includes Environmental Educator, Soil Scientist	1,300	72	45	40	Public administration and safety (31%)
Park Rangers (234314)	Assist controlling State or national park, scenic area, historic site, nature reserve, recreation area or conservation reserve in accordance with authorised policies and priorities	2,500	81	25	42	Arts and Recreation Services (55%)
Environmental Research Scientists (234313)	Study, develop policies and plans for control of factors which may produce pollution, imbalance in or degradation of the environment.	4,200	75	44	39	Professional, scientific technical services (48%)
Environmental Scientists (2343)	Study, develop, implement and advise on policies and plans for managing and protecting the environment, flora, fauna and other natural resources	27,800	76	41	38	Professional, scientific technical services (39%) Public administration and safety (22%)

Notes – The category ID refers to the ID used by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Role – summarised from Labour Markets Insights Australian Government (2023).

F/T – identified as employed full-time.

F – identified as female.

An expanding range of categories, and associated roles, indicates the extent to which the need for environment professionals has grown, for example, as noted by Hurlimann, Beilin, and March (2023). This is not surprising since, as Whitmell (2012, no page) reported, ‘even industries not previously aligned with environmental principles are now required to employ environmentally knowledgeable professionals’. Clearly, there is alignment with the comments above by Bouchrika (2023), relating to the expanse of positions requiring environmental literacy, along with the prediction from the Open University (2023, no page) ‘that environmental management and resource efficiency will soon be fully integrated into jobs in much the same way as health and safety or equal opportunities are today’.

A context for needing a broad environment profession in Australia has been created by the expectations of political parties (e.g. Australian Labor Party 2021), governments (e.g. Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action 2019) and evolving legislation. The Victorian Environmental Protection Act, for example, introduced:

the general environmental duty (GED). … (which requires) any person engaging in an activity that can cause harm to public health or the environment, from pollution or waste, must minimise those risks. From Government to business to community, the GED applies to all Victorians. (Engage Victoria, no date, no page).

The long-running engagement of local governments with sustainability-related activities (e g. Williams, Wilmshurst, and Clift 2011) and increasing engagement of private industries (see Cachia and Levine 2022) has also helped to create the need for an expanding environment profession. Over time this aggregation of ‘push factors’ (as noted by Cachia and Levine 2022) has led to the situation where a wide range of professionals supporting societal needs has been desirable. Similarly, Graduate Careers Australia (2016) advised that:

Industry, business and government sectors are increasingly recognising the importance of incorporating environmental perspectives into their policy and practice, resulting in a high demand for environmental knowledge and expertise. …  The range of career options in the public and private sectors is broad and not restricted to a specific area. (no page)

With careers offering such a range of possibilities, the issue of skills that would be relevant to the environment profession has been a topic for discussion. Elsewhere we have already had ‘discussion of the use of the terms skills, competencies, capabilities, attributes and others to encompass the concepts of what graduates take from their studies (and other experiences) to their employment’ (Thomas 2019, 4). Skills is typically used, and will be adopted here, to include the range of terms.

Aligning the graduates’ skills with the requirements of employers has increasingly become a topic of interest. While there is a range of perspectives, some researchers, for example, Brundiers et al. (2021), have sought to provide frameworks for their discussion. More broadly, in their review of the effects of policies related to Australian tertiary education up to 2019, Small, McPhail, and Shaw (2022, 928) observed that ‘that qualifications no longer assure employment’, indicating that skill development should be a concern for all educators and professions. Developing a precise list of skills to cover the environment profession has proved to be a complicated task (Thomas 2022), especially as there can be cross-overs to skills required for employment generally. Perez Salgado, Abbott, and Wilson (2018, 163), for example, talk of ‘intervention competence’ as a grouping of several ‘knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviours’. In this context, the applicability of ‘soft’ skills was highlighted by Succi and Canovi (2020, 1) who, in relation to European countries, found that in the twenty-first century employers have been placing ‘an increased emphasis on soft skills’. Nonetheless, with a focus on the technical needs of green industries in Europe, Cedefop (2019) emphasised the importance of filling green skills gaps, without discussing specific skills. In the context of North America though, soft (general) skills were of interest to Bouchrika (2023). He grouped skills into two broad groups: general skills for environmental careers (project management, technical and academic writing, critical thinking); and essential skills for environmental careers (environmental awareness, inductive and deductive reasoning, systems and risk analysis, data science). Similarly, for reviewing environment professionals in Australia comments had been sought from those professionals regarding both ‘generic skills’ and ‘position specific skills’ relevant to their work (Thomas 2019).

As with the evolution of a range of positions filled by environment professionals, the associated skills used by these professionals are also important to understand, if the profession is to be well placed to support society in the future. To assist this objective, this article builds on earlier work relating to the profession, specifically surveys reported by Thomas (2019) by outlining the results of a 2022 survey. How the survey was undertaken, the results, their analysis and implications are presented in the following sections.

2022 survey of environment professionals

Previous surveys, in 2004, 2009 and 2016, had been designed to ‘both document the range and characteristics of professional environment jobs across Australia, and to identify the range of skills associated with these jobs’ (Thomas 2019, 4). These, especially the 2016 survey, provided the base for the structure and questions for the 2022 survey. The introduction to the survey noted that ‘the data will be important for those seeking to understand the breadth of the profession across Australia, the opportunities offered, and actions that may assist future members of the profession’. In this context, the survey was again designed to provide an overview of the profession, rather than attempting to be comprehensive or statistically representative.

Based on the previous survey experiences, the survey was developed to be internet-based using Qualtrics software, to reduce time and effort for respondents, and thence to make it more encouraging for them to participate; also no funding was available to provide resources for a more extensive survey. The questions were based on those in the previous surveys, slightly modified to respect changes in broad economic and environmental conditions. This research approach had to accept the restrictions of the lack of knowledge about the population of environment professionals, specifically its extent, and minimal control over the sample size and the degree it would represent the profession. To encourage participation an invitation was distributed through three third-party networks which, over recent decades, have established connections with, and networks for, Australia’s environment professionals: the Environmental Institute of Australia and New Zealand, the Environmental Jobs Network and NRMJobs. The latter two had also assisted in the earlier surveys.

As with the earlier surveys (Thomas 2019), this approach embodied the limitations that

• these organisations have a national coverage, but being based in the eastern mainland states (generally where the larger proportion of economic activity and employment occurs) could mean that those employed in other locations were not (well) represented;

• the overall number of environment professionals who may have received the invitation is unknown, a result of the method of distributing the invitation; and

• the number who viewed or opened the invitation, but did not respond, is unknown.

Ethics clearance preceded issuing the invitation via the three organisations’ email and electronic newsletters (one also used its Linkedin page). This information contained: the participation invitation, information about the research, an electronic survey link and information for accessing a ‘plain language statement’ associated with the ethics requirements. Allowing for variability in the distribution of the invitation, it noted a period of four weeks for submissions. However, after that time fewer than 190 had been received, so additional messages were sent by the organisations to encourage participation. At the close of the final invitation period 254 responses had been received. Compared with the 2016 survey this was disappointing, being roughly half the number of responses. This occurred despite the organisations communicating with many subscribers; one organisation had an open rate of over 1,000, another sent information to over 15,000 and the other to over 33,000. Relative to the numbers employed indicated in Table 1, the response rate is frustrating. Further, this result makes it important to recognise the inevitable limitations conferred on the data analysis. Specifically, there may be biases in the locational, occupational and experiential data obtained.

In keeping with the format of the earlier survey, six groups of questions were formed:

• General background (principally demographic information);

• Educational background;

• Current career;

• Early career;

• Aspects of changing career; and

• Career assistance.

Apart from the demographic section specific questions focused on:

• Categories of professional environment employment;

• Characteristics of environment professionals;

• Position titles by which the respondents’ positions were designated;

• Typical activities with which respondents are engaged;

• Education levels and skills considered to be most important in their work;

• Duration of careers and job movements within it; and

• Generic and specific skills considered important to their employment.

Data collection and analysis through the Qualtrics package ensured that responses were anonymous. In addition though, there were options for respondents to provide a profile of their work and careers for publication, and, if interested, could request a summary of the survey results. If either were taken, an email address was requested for future communication.

Survey results

In addition to the 2022 results being presented in the following sections, comparisons will be made with the findings of the 2016 and 2009 surveys (see Thomas 2019) to form the basis of the discussion of the future of the environment profession in Australia. Percentages have been rounded up or down, so that totals may not be exactly 100 per cent.

General background

Similar to 2016, the majority of respondents were females, 61 per cent, and 38 per cent were male (1 per cent non-binary or undisclosed). A slight majority were older than 40 years (55 per cent), and again the majority (just under 70 per cent) were located in the eastern states of Australia; 11 per cent were outside Australia (1 per cent in New Zealand). Compared to the previous survey the eastern states had fewer respondents and overseas more, possibly suggesting a diversification in the opportunities for employment.

Educational background

Over 95 per cent of respondents had a university degree, similar to previous surveys, with almost 55 per cent reporting a post-graduate degree (by coursework or research). Also similar was that environment or sustainability was the main focus of their degree, for 82 per cent. Associated with that focus, the vast majority had a science/technology-related degree (78 per cent) with 27 per cent specifically noting Environmental Science. Of the ‘other’ responses, being 13 per cent of the sample (see Table 2), the largest grouping (8 per cent) identified with non-science/technology areas. Overall, the results were similar to previous surveys, although they suggest a trend away from Environmental Science as the predominant degree, possibly towards broader studies.

Table 2. Degree categories.

Degree	2009 survey responses % (n = 432)	2016 survey responses % (n = 454)	2022 survey responses % (n = 204)
Environmental Science	37	30	27
Environmental Management	16	13	18
Natural Resource Management	12	17	10
Environmental Engineering	9	4	4
Environmental Studies/humanities	7	5	8
Sustainable Development and Planning	5	2	3
Environmental Education	2	2	1
Environmental Health	1	<1	1
Environmental Policy and Law	1	2	3
Sustainable Management and Corporate Social Responsibility	1	2	1
Ecology (including Biology, Zoology, Wildlife Conservation, Horticulture)	–	15	11
Other (socio-environmental categories 8%)	9	9	13

Note: Owing to rounding the total may not be exactly 100 per cent.

Current career

With the vast majority (87 per cent) in the workforce (13 per cent retired or other situation), most worked full-time (70 per cent), Twenty-six per cent were part-time, and 5 per cent reported being sessional, flexible or unemployed. In terms of the category of their employment, respondents reported being: 45 per cent on a contract; 20 per cent permanent/on-going; 14 per cent consultant; 11 per cent own business; and 7 per cent volunteering.

As with the 2016 survey, the vast majority (73 per cent) had been in the environment profession for more than five years; 60 per cent noted more than 10 years. Regarding their current position, only 18 per cent had been there for 10 or more years, while 27 per cent had been for 3 to 10 years, and 11 per cent were recent employees of less than six months; the majority (44 per cent) were 0.5-3 year employees. Overall then, more than half the respondents (55 per cent) had been in their current positions (as distinct from the profession) for less than three years, suggesting a reasonably high level of movement between positions.

A slight majority (58 per cent) indicated that they had changed careers when entering their current positions, and to do so they gained information about positions from a range of sources, being mainly web sites (see Table 3). To achieve a change, respondents undertook a variety of activities. Most noted emphasising the relevance of transferable skills for the new role (27 per cent), with the next frequent being: undertaking additional education (25 per cent); using their contacts/networks (15 per cent); undertaking unpaid work to gain experience (11 per cent); and established own business (8 per cent). As indicated in Table 4, the reasons for changing were mainly associated with their personal and career interests. Some, 27 per cent, thought that their work-related experiences, general or specific, assisted their change, with personal attributes and/or experiences (16 per cent) and their environmental (academic) qualification also being important (for 16 per cent). Respondents were generally happy with their current arrangements (44 per cent), with only 11 per cent having plans to make a move. However, 12 per cent reported being broadly interested in opportunities to further their careers, while 9 per cent were interested in improving their qualifications, and 6 per cent thinking about developing their own business/consultancy.

Table 3. Accessed sources of information about environmental jobs and careers.

Green career web sites		% (n = 137)
	NRMJobs	49
	Seek	17
	Environmental Jobs Network	10
	Ethicaljobs	9
	Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand	9
General professional web sites		(n = 102)
	Linkedin	45
	Web/internet sites (unspecified)	19
	Email lists (unspecified)	15
	Government (state, local) web sites (unspecified)	12
	Job related web sites (unspecified)	4
Additional sources of careers information		(n = 56)
	Networks (professional)	35
	Word of mouth	30
	Personally approached/contacted/recruited	11
	Colleagues, peers	9
	Newsletters	5

Note: Multiple responses had been provided and these were grouped into the three broad categories, with differing total responses as indicated (n = ).

Table 4. Reason for undertaking their career change.

Reason for changing career	% (n = 193)
Better fit with my personal values and goals	25
More rewarding role	15
Better work-life balance	13
Better career potential	11
Challenges or opportunities presented	11
Work with like-minded people	9
Difficulties with previous position (including redundancy)	8
Increased salary	7

Overall, the vast majority of respondents (85 per cent) identified with the designation of ‘environment professional’. The majority, 40 per cent, were employed by one of the government sectors, although less so than in 2009; see Table 5. By comparison, the number of those in their own business or business/corporate (34 per cent) was similar to 2016 and somewhat higher than in 2009. Given the rise in ‘own business’ responses, and slightly so for ‘higher education’, it may be that this has been at the expense of a reduction in government positions.

Table 5. Employer of survey participants.

Part of economy worked in	2009 survey responses % (n = 432)	2016 survey responses % (n = 554)	2022 survey responses % (n = 235)
Local government	–	12	12
State/Territory government	–	25	22
Australian/Commonwealth government	–	4	6
Government total all three sectors	57	41	40
Business/corporate	25	25	25
Own business	4	11	9
Not for profit	13	11	13
Higher education	2	5	6

Note: In addition, the 2022 survey ‘other’ category (7 per cent of total) included ambiguous, multi-categories or unclear (5 per cent) responses as well as not currently in paid employment (2 per cent).

Irrespective of their workplace, a majority (78 per cent) reported that their educational qualification had been fundamental to their position. Of the others, 16 per cent commented that their studies were not related to their current role or that on-the-job experiences were most important. A respondent summarised this situation: ‘I have a range of different qualifications and job experience, and it’s the collective skills I have gained that are most important for the job rather than any particular qualification.’

Regarding the environmental sectors in which participants worked, the data presented in Table 6 outlines the 10 most prominent sectors of respondents’ employment (in the 2022 survey). When looking at the relative prominence of environmental consultancy and conservation management, these data tend to support the indication of the importance of broad roles in the environment profession. Between the 2016 and 2022 results there are some differences, but also considerable similarities.

Table 6. Ten most prominent employment sector of participants.

Sector of employment	2009 responses % (n = 432)	2016 responses % (n = 675)	2022 responses % (n = 233)
Environmental consultancy (covering a number of activities)	17	10	12
Conservation and management of biodiversity	18	2	9
Environmental legislation compliance and enforcement	15	3	8
Natural resource management	2	8	5
Environmental and sustainability research	-	2	4
Land management, quality, protection and site restoration	5	4	4
Environmental management	-	2	4
Climate change and carbon trading*	2	2	3
Water quality and protection	6	4	3
Sustainability (generally)	6	2	3

Note: Some 18 per cent of 2022 responses were in the ‘Other’ category and predominantly reflected areas where respondents indicated multiple sectors.

# This category embraces the categories ‘Parks (and conservation and management of biodiversity)’ and ‘Forestry’ of the 2009 and 2016 surveys.

* Climate change was not identified prior to 2022, rather ‘Energy-related’ was used.

In relation to an apparent trend to broad operations, the range of titles used to describe the respondents’ roles, as illustrated in Table 7, also indicates a move over the surveys away from more discipline-based roles (such as scientist or botanist) to roles embodying a range of requirements, as suggested by the titles of consultant and officer. Overall, responses related to 46 job titles, with a wide range of specific descriptors listed as ‘other’ responses; the vast majority of these were associated with environment professional activities. As well as these titles, respondents also reported a range of terms they used when describing their work. When similar sentiments were grouped, 11 groups evolved, with the majority of responses appearing in four groups:

• Project assessment, monitoring, auditing, surveying, compliance – 27 per cent;

• Engagement, communication, advocacy, advice, liaison activities (including reporting) – 15 per cent;

• Management of projects, products, aspects of the environment (e.g. water, waste, environment) – 14 per cent; and

• Field-related activities (e.g. wildlife conservation, weed/pest control) – 7 per cent.

Table 7. Five most frequently nominated job/position title.

2009 survey job position/title	2009 replies % (n = 341)	2016 survey job position/title	2016 replies % (n = 613)	2022 survey job position/title	2022 replies % (n = 230)
Project Manager	10	(Other) Officer, Co-ordinator, Advisor, Supervisor	7	Environmental Consultant	8
Environmental Officer	9	Consultant	6	Consultant	7
Project Officer	9	Project Officer	5	Environmental Officer	6
Environmental Scientist	7	(Other) Biologist, Ecologist, Scientist, Engineer, Technologist, Designer	5	Project Officer	6
(Other) Manager, Director, Principal, Leader	6	(Other) Manager, Director, Principal, Leader	4	Environmental Scientist	5

Note: In the 2022 survey the ‘other’ category had the highest response (23 per cent), and typically these responses were indicating a combination of positions/titles – e.g. 1.7 per cent had replied with titles related to Director and Environmental Advisor.

Again, these responses indicate that their employment embodied activities that are not relying solely on specific technical expertise. Of note is the extent to which ‘engagement’ and the like were reported, given that related tasks were not evident in their job titles. However, the activities they reported indicated the prevalence of this type of activity.

Note that in the 2022 survey the ‘other’ category had the highest response (23 per cent), and typically these responses indicated a combination of positions/titles – e.g. 1.7 per cent had replied with titles related to Director and Environmental Advisor.

Participants were asked to note three of the most common activities or tasks they undertook. The results are shown in Table 8 and indicate the importance of communication-related activities, especially if management related to people was included under the broad heading of communication (approximately one-third of the total responses). Regarding the first activity noted, other activities are as frequent as communication, but communication is most frequently reported for the second and third activity. Also, broad activities such as assessment, design and management are important, while field-related activities are only slightly less so.

Table 8. Activities undertaken.

Activity	Activity 1 replies % (n = 206)	Activity 2 replies % (n = 200)	Activity 3 replies % (n = 190)	Combination of replies (base 300%)
Engagement, communication, advocacy, advice, liaison activities (including reporting)	15	26	32	73
Undertaking assessments/reviews (e.g. EMS, site contamination)	13	10	14	37
Design, policy or planning related (e.g. development and/or implementation)	13	12	11	36
Management related of people (e.g. teams, facilitation, contracts)	16	10	6	32
Surveying, sampling (field related activities including data collection, weed control, vegetation mapping)	11	11	9	31
Monitoring, auditing, compliance	10	10	6	26
Research related, designing, undertaking, analysis, reporting	11	6	6	23
Management related, of projects, products, aspects of the environment (e.g. natural resources management, water, waste, pests)	6	4	12	22
Education or training-related	4	7	4	15
Administration	2	3	2	7

A variety of techniques were used to gain participants’ positions, the most frequently noted were.

• advertisement on job website – 28 per cent;

• approached directly (internal or external person) – 15 per cent;

• established own business – 7 per cent;

• internal advertisement, notice or process – 7 per cent;

• website of the employing organisation – 6 per cent;

• through word of mouth (friends) – 6 per cent; and

• through word of mouth (professional networks) – 6 per cent.

In relation to suggestions for others looking for similar positions respondents proposed a range of action, see Table 9. While there is a tendency to highlight breadth of experiences, there is also recognition of the relevance of specific knowledge and experience. Perhaps surprisingly, volunteering was not noted as a key action for gaining their current positions, yet a reasonably high proportion of respondents suggested that gaining experience (such as volunteering) was generally useful for employment broadly. Recognition of personal attributes was also noted by some.

Table 9. Suggestions for securing a position.

Suggestion	% (n = 193)
Look for and gain broad experiences (e g. across disciplines, sectors, employers. locations)	19
Gain specific and relevant skills and/or knowledge, including practical experiences	17
Take opportunities to gain experience (as though volunteering, internship, field work) [there is some overlap with networking]	14
Network, with professionals, community, work-mates; find a mentor [there is some overlap with volunteering]	11
Gain broad capability (e.g. dealing with complexity and uncertainty, thinking holistically, time management, inter-personal skills, clear communication, applying theory to practice)	9
Take an inquiring, self-learning, approach (including mastering a role before expanding, broadening or further study)	9
Be strategic about where to put effort (e.g. take a position to gain experience/insight to move to something more satisfactory, plan actions/advice to be effective)	9
Embrace personal attributes like passion, commitment, honesty, resilience, persistence, flexibility	9
Response did not identify a suggestion	3

Skills

Regarding the most important generic (general, soft) skills for their careers overall, considering the time between the surveys, results for the 2022 survey (see Table 10) show considerable consistency about the most important generic skills, i.e. ability to get along with others (interpersonal) and critical thinking. While there are minor differences across the surveys for most skills, there is a substantial difference between the responses for 2009 and subsequent surveys regarding communication; both spoken/verbal and written. The reduced importance of communication appears surprising, yet for the 2022 data at least, Table 10 indicates that the relatively low ranking of communication is consistent for responses about their careers overall and current positions; however, interpersonal skills (which embody communication) were ranked highest for both current and overall careers. Perhaps the understanding of the role of ‘communications’ has changed over the 14 years of the surveys, with younger professionals having absorbed the importance of communications through their degrees and experiences, and feeling it to be less noteworthy than earlier years’ participants. Otherwise, regarding generic skills canvassed in the 2022 survey, there was little difference in the highest reported frequencies of skills needed for their current position or their overall career (see Table 11). Yet, a marked difference was that for their current position ‘judgment and decision making’ was noted substantially more frequently than for their overall career; just slightly less so than ‘critical thinking’. Perhaps these skills were not called upon in the earlier stages of the respondents’ careers.

Table 10. Generic skills identified as important.

Generic employment skill that enabled you to work in the environmental/sustainability sector during your career	2009 survey replies % (n = 1219)	2016 survey replies % (n = 1238)	2022 survey replies % (n = 598)
Ability to get along with others (interpersonal)	9	9	10
Communication – customer service	2	3	2
Communication – spoken/verbal	15	8	5
Communication – written	13	8	5
Computer skills	5	3	2
Critical thinking	7	7	10
Equipment maintenance	1	<1	–
Honesty	–	2	2
Identifying complex problems and provide solutions	5	3	2
Initiative and enterprise	7	4	6
Installation of equipment/systems	<1	3	-
Judgment and decision making	5	4	4
Learning skills	7	7	5
Long-term planning and organising	2	1	-
Negotiation/persuasion/build argument	3	3	2
Operation and control of equipment/systems	1	<1	1
Operation monitoring and analysis	<1	1	1
Personal values/ethics, attributes			7
Project management		8	5
Resource management skills – financial resources	<1	<1	-
Resource management skills – management of self	4	1	1
Resource management skills – material resources	1	<1	<1
Resource management skills – personnel	1	1	<1
Scientific approach and application	3	5	6
Team work – coordination	6	4	4
Team work – instructing	1	1	1
Technology design	<1	<1	<1
Timeliness	-	1	1
Troubleshooting	2	1	<1
Using mathematics to solve problems	<1	1	1
Other	1	2	2

Notes: 1. more than one response could be selected. 2. due to rounding the total may not be exactly 100 per cent. 3. ‘Personal values/ethics, attributes’: not recorded in 2009 or 2016.

Table 11. Most frequent generic skills needed for overall career and current position.

Important generic skills	Over career (% n = 598)	For current position (% n = 741)
Interpersonal skills	10	10
Critical thinking	10	10
Initiative and enterprise	6	4
Work ethic	6	6
Scientific approach and application	6	5
Communication – written	5	6
Project management	5	7
Communication – spoken/verbal	5	4
Learning skills	5	3
Personal values/ethics	5	4
Judgment and decision making	4	8

Note: for current position responses shown, an additional 6 per cent responded ‘as for current career/position’.

Participants were also asked to identify the main environmental/sustainability-specific skills that were associated with their employment. Whereas a list of skills based on previous surveys had been provided for the question about generic skills, participants were able to use their own words related to specific skills. Hence, for the analysis of these data the responses were grouped into broad themes (see Table 12). Over their careers respondents indicated that knowledge and/or experience has been most important, covering aspects of the environment, broad concepts, techniques relevant to the environment, and environmental regulation. Communication and engagement were also of importance, while some noted field experience and personable capabilities.

Table 12. Environmental/sustainability skills relevant to career generally, and current position.

Main environmental/sustainability-specific skill, knowledge or experience	Career relevant % (n = 491)	Current relevance % (n = 198)
Knowledge of specific environmental aspects (e.g. sustainability, climate change, waste management, natural resources management)	19	12
Knowledge and/or expertise with broad concepts (e.g. systems thinking, ecological systems, strategic thinking, environmental management, product stewardship, human behaviour, sustainability education, designer)	13	26
Knowledge and/or expertise with environmental tools/techniques (e.g. geographic information systems, information technology applications, auditing, sustainability reporting, education, policy, environmental impact assessment, sustainability impact assessment)	13	17
Knowledge and/or expertise with environmental legislation and/or with regulatory processes	11	9
Interpersonal and communication and/or engagement abilities	11	3
Field experience (e.g. fauna)	8	6
Personal capabilities (e.g. passion, empathy)	7	2
Research/survey ability (e.g. plan, collect, analyse and/or interpret data)	5	3
Scientific knowledge and/or experience	4	6
Management ability of people and/or projects	4	1
Technical skills, including information technology, modelling	<1	–
Administrative skills, including working with budgets	1	–
Economic understanding	–	<1

Likewise for their current positions, need for knowledge and/or expertise associated with those four environmental aspects was identified more frequently than other skills. A notable difference between the career and current relevant data sets is that while ‘interpersonal and communication and/or engagement’ skills were important across their career overall, it was much less so for their current positions. Similarly, but to a lesser degree, personal capabilities related to current positions were barely recorded. Given that these skills had been reported in relation to generic skills, respondents may have not thought they may not need to report them again.

For the future

While broadly respondents were happy with their current employment and career arrangements, their career experiences had generated some thoughts about the type of assistance that would be useful for their, or others’, career development. When asked how employment organisations (such as the Environmental Institute of Australia and New Zealand, the Environmental Jobs Network and NRMJobs) might assist, the provision of information, across several categories, was considered most important; as indicated in Table 13. However, there was some interest in relevant organisations facilitating particular two-way, and sharing, occasions. A few respondents noted that all options would be useful, while several suggested improvements, specifically web-site design/layout or improving the information about positions available, skills needed and relevant professional activities.

Table 13. Suggested support for environment professionals

Organisations can help by –	% (n = 859)
Information on jobs in the environment/sustainability field	14
Information on environmental career networks and events	12
Facilitate mentoring and/or volunteering	9
Facilitate networking	9
Information on career paths	8
Information on the industry and its trends	8
Information related to accessing career/jobs sites of government and industry	6
Information on career trends (i.e. ‘career news’)	5
Information related to job agencies and education/training providers	5
Advice by running workshops	4
Information to assist job application process	4
Undertake detailed research into the sector’s skills needs and job market	4
Advice by running internet blogs/interactive sessions	3
Advice by providing online tutorials	3
Advice through one-on-one sessions	2

Respondents were also asked to think about the challenges and opportunities that they saw affecting the future of their profession. They were able to provide their own words regarding the challenges facing both their industry area, and the environment sector generally, so collation of the data required interpretation of their meaning to enable categorisation and summation. For different reasons, a notable challenge was people moving into, and across, the environment sector. One commented that ‘as a business owner, I find it very difficult to find good early-career people that are truly keen, interested and especially with some base knowledge’. For others, governments presented the main challenge; ‘governance frameworks where leadership is not listening to advice of technical experts  …  this old model is too slow to respond to the pace of current change’. The range of challenges is outlined in Table 14, where responses for challenges related to the respondent’s industry showed both similarities and differences compared with their views of the environment sector as a whole. Both, funding and employment arrangements (both general and specific) were seen as key challenges. Yet, while insufficient skills of employees was an important challenge at the industry level, this was not the case for the sector generally. By contrast, while attracting or keeping skilled people was considered an issue for the sector generally, it was felt to be less the case at the industry level. Perceived lack of interest in environment/sustainability was an issue for the sector broadly, but less so for the industry areas.

Table 14. Perceived challenges for environmental industries and the sector generally.

Challenge	Industry % n = 177	Sector % n = 147
Insufficient funding (as from government policy, allocation, economic/market conditions)	19	13
Insufficient skills and/or experience of graduates or employees	19	4
Employment arrangements (related to the economy generally or particular employment situations)	12	29
Lack of awareness in, or support for, environment/sustainability (from community, government or employer)	9	19
Broad socio-environmental factors (related to issues like climate change or tensions between ESD elements)	9	5
Unhelpful aspects of governments (including policies, procedures, bureaucracies or inter-organisation communication)	8	9
Attracting and/or retaining skilled and/or motivated people	5	10
Education and/or training issues associated with graduates/applicants, or maintaining skills relevant to a changing world	5	7
Work-place issues (like age or gender discrimination, geographic or language imbalance)	5	–
Insufficient opportunities to attract relevant experience/skills	4	3
Providing improved support for people in the workplace	4	2
Scope of the profession (leading to complexity or misunderstanding)	1
Co-operation or co-ordination across government and/or between interested/relevant organisations	–	3
Burnout and/or depression about the future	–	3
Passion and/or commitment to work for the environment	–	2

It may be that those reading these data see opportunities to take action independently to identify possible ways to overcome, or at least reduce, any problem. However, these reported challenges indicate a broad range of issues, each of which is worthy of further study to both verify that the concern is broadly held (remembering the small size of the sample of professionals) and to identify any appropriate future strategies. Some challenges, like employment arrangements and environmental awareness, may be able to be influenced by individuals and by organisations such as the environment profession. However, they are also likely to depend on much broader socio-economic influences from international and government activities. In this context resolution of the challenge may be very problematic.

Participants also provided their views, using their own words, about the opportunities open to their environmental industry and the sector generally. Two responses, related to industry areas, provide an indication of the range of thoughts:

• ‘Government agencies have a lot of voice and a lot of partnership potential if they find ways to develop those’ and

• ‘A key opportunity is  …  (to) push the boundaries and build in biodiversity enhancement and nature-based solutions to the final outcome (of projects).’

These data have been interpreted and categorised in Table 15. At both industry and sector levels participants considered there to be clear opportunities for the employment of environment professionals, and associated with increasing concern over environmental issues. Otherwise, while many opportunities were identified, their importance at the industry and sector levels varied substantially. Important for industry areas was opportunities provided by government and business generating projects (as suggested above), the highly relevant skills provided by environment professionals, and the development of relevant technologies and work practices, Across the sector, opportunities were seen for working to emphasise socio-environmental outcomes, emphasising the skills of environment professionals, and how these may contribute to relevant interest and action by governments.

Table 15. Perceived opportunities for environmental industries and the sector generally.

Opportunity	Industry % (n = 160)	Sector % n = 140
Increasing interest in the environment and growing employment opportunities in the sector from projects that need environment professionals	27	26
Build on the skill base – support skilling, and reskilling, e.g. by expanded interactions between education institutions and workplaces to develop skills and experiences	–	11
Expansion of ways of thinking and working to emphasise socio-environmental outcomes	7	11
Possibilities of better government and/or governmental direction/policy/actions	–	10
Complexity of environmental problems needs the involvement of the flexible and skilled environment professionals	13	7
Enthusiasm of young people and the community for the environment	3	6
Recognise and build on the talent available in the environment sector	–	6
Workplace/employment improvements (e.g. gender equity and wages)	7	5
Increased networking and/or co-operation across the sector		4
Availability (or development) of new technologies, ways of working (e.g. cross-disciplinary) and knowledge	12	4
Increasing support for education, training, accreditation programs, including assisting transition into environmental workplaces.	8	4
Wide range of groups to work with (e.g. Indigenous, non-governmental organisations, philanthropy, government, business)	5	4
Initiatives and/or refined programs by governments or business generating relevant work	19	–

Overview

It is important to remember that the context for the data presented above is that they come from a low-resourced and small-scale survey, which did not attempt to provide definitive data about the environment profession in Australia. The survey’s role has been to provide a broad outline of the profession, and, following the earlier surveys, provide some longitudinal information about the professionals. While the data suggests many interesting themes that could be examined, three are broad and have importance for outcomes of the profession: breadth of the profession, skills and the future.

First, an interpretation of the data suggests that breadth of the profession is a well-established, and possibly expanding, feature. This is not surprising given the observations of the Open University (2023) and Whitmell (2012), actions of governments (e. g. Engage Victoria, no date) and breadth of the profession as suggested by Anderson et al. (2014). The range of titles, and focus, of respondents’ undergraduate degrees demonstrates breadth, and there is a suggestion that the more specific area of environmental science has become less important over the period of the surveys. However, there is no clear increase in the coverage of broader educational areas, such as environmental studies or management. Nonetheless, breadth is clearly indicated by the responses about the extent of career changing, reasons for making the change, the range of titles used to describe the respondents’ roles, and the most common activities or tasks they undertook. Further, the generic skills that they reported as important to their employment, and even the environmental/sustainability skills (covering the breadth of knowledge required), point to engagement with a range of issues. Respondents’ consideration of future challenges and opportunities also indicated their concern over ‘big-picture’ issues for society (noticeably employment and support for environment/sustainability).

While there has been discussion about the range of environmental employment (for example by Cachia and Levine 2022), some have noted differences between environmental and other work. Specifically related to skills, Consoli et al. (2016) considered that:

green jobs use more intensively high-level cognitive and interpersonal skills compared to non-green jobs. Green occupations also exhibit higher levels of standard dimensions of human capital such as formal education, work experience and on-the-job training. (1046)

In this regard, the survey respondents demonstrated a preponderance of formal education, with the vast majority having tertiary qualifications and frequently noting the importance of work experience (particularly Table 9); indications that on-the-job experience and learning were noteworthy also appeared (for instance Table 12). Regarding skills, respondents’ recognition of cognitive and interpersonal skills was also apparent (Table 11), along with other generic skills. While an extensive list of skills was identified, many skills were not a priority for most respondents. A number of personal skills (such as critical thinking, initiative, ethics, learning and judgement) combined with the ability to work with others (e.g. interpersonal, communication and management) were recognised as relevant for both participants’ current work and for their careers overall. Interestingly, many also noted the role of having the broad framework of a scientific approach and application, but did not give a high rating to having specific scientific knowledge and/or experience, Nonetheless, many aspects of the important environmental/sustainability-specific skills that were noted suggested the need for knowledge of some scientific detail; to support their knowledge of environmental aspects, concepts and tools needed for their professional activities.

As with other research (e.g. Bouchrika 2023; Succi and Canovi 2020), a range of skills was noted, a variety of generic and specific skills were reported. Over recent years lists of skills have been developed as noted, for example by Succi and Canovi (2020) and Wiek, Withycombe, and Redman (2011); they have also been compiled into prose, as Pontius and McIntosh (2020, 5), explain, in relation to their book, ‘to help current and future environment professionals learn, practice, and master relevant skills to make their work more efficient, successful, and sustain-able.’ These show varying degrees of breadth, specificity and overlap, where generic skills are evident, whether categorised under broad headings or detailed.

Given that respondents were generally happy with their situation (see ‘Current career’, above) it is not surprising that they were positive about the future of their profession. Respondents felt that there was strong and growing support from society for the work that engaged them, thereby suggesting a broad ‘social licence’ for their profession and an increasing need for a range of environment professionals. This view aligns with the international review by Jaeger et al. (2021) and explored by Stanef-Puică et al. (2022), indicating the favourable economic directions underlying the expansion of green jobs. Importantly, respondents also felt that their skills and experience have provided them with the abilities to make positive contributions. Even so, respondents also identified a range of challenges (Table 14), related to both unemployment generally and to environment professionals. Perhaps there is little that can be done by environment professionals to affect broad employment issues, but identification of challenges, and opportunities (Table 15) with direct associations with environmental concerns, could provide a beginning for some targeted activities to support environment professionals. Given the dearth of research and information focused on the environment profession in Australia it is unknown if some challenges are specific to this profession or are broader employment issues. If the latter, experiences from other professions could be drawn upon to assist environment professionals. Nonetheless, three specific issues were apparent.

First, gaining support from governments (both directly and through policies) was seen as both a challenge, but also an opportunity; the importance of governmental support had similarly been identified in the literature review undertaken by Stanef-Puică et al. (2022). Their review also identified work-life balance as an issue for discussion of green jobs, and while this was not a prominent challenge for respondents, there was some concern in relation to the sector as a whole. Nonetheless, the future for environment professionals appears bright. As World Economic Forum (2023, 5) note, ‘businesses predict the strongest net job-creation effect to be driven by investments that facilitate the green transition of businesses, the broader application of ESG standards and supply chains becoming more localized’.

Second, in step with this predicted trend in employment, the degree of community support for environmental/sustainability actions, expressed by individuals and governments, has been increasing, as noted earlier. Importantly, while regognising the diversity of feelings across the Australian community and the complexities of survey analysis, Ipsos (2020) concluded that there are long-term economic advantages from good environmental management: ‘Australians place a very high value on being able to access the natural environment, and this flows through to our future economic security’ (no page).

The third concern, of ensuring employees have appropriate skills, is an issue where the environment profession has a degree of direct influence. Along with the respondents, others have recognised the importance of skilled workers. Internationally the OECD (2023, no page) noted that a ‘green skills shortage across the OECD is holding back growth in sustainable development jobs and could jeopardise the race to reach net zero by 2050’. Similarly, membership data led LinkedIn Corporation (2023, 3) to conclude that ‘the increase in demand for green skills is outpacing the increase in supply, raising the prospect of an imminent green skills shortage’. Looking at Australia, and commenting on a clean energy summit, Ludlow (2023) observed that one of the challenges for government programs would be skills shortages, a point emphasised by PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting (2022) regarding renewable energy programs. In this context, there is a role for educators and mentors to support the development of the skills that have been identified by the survey participants and others.

While the data reported in Tables 10 and 12 show a range of skills considered important, respondents made little mention of technical skills (including computer, operation and control of equipment/systems, information technology, or modelling). The participants had not been asked about their use of technology, yet the survey had been conducted using electronic technology not generally available when the majority began their careers. Perhaps their responses indicate that they had grown accustomed to working with developing technologies, and so their technical skills were not especially noteworthy. However, they had clearly identified communication and interpersonal skills with which they were accustomed. Regardless, over the last decade there have been indications that their world of work would be changing, binging about a greater engagement with technology. For example, the World Economic Forum (2016) discussed a number of drivers of change in employment, and specifically several technological factors that were directly related to the use of computers (e.g. internet-based applications, artificial intelligence, processing power, big data). Citi GPS (2016) also speculated that there would be substantial disruption to the workplace through the evolution of technologies. Providing encouragement to environment professionals, they foresaw ‘good opportunities for future job creation in the information technology, industrial (i.e. robot engineers and technicians) and green sectors’ (8). However, taking the broad view of the Australian economy, the Productivity Commission (2016, 73) expected that ‘over the next 10-15 years, nearly 40 per cent of jobs are at risk of automation’.

Subsequently across borders and communities, the COVID-19 pandemic has generated considerable discussion of the role of digital technologies and the associated changes in workplaces. Attention has been given to the effects of the pandemic on the broad aspects of work (e.g. communication and the physical location of workers). For instance, Vyas (2022) considered that ‘especially flexible work arrangements, have challenged traditional relationships  …  work time and working hours, the work–life balance (WLB), and the relationship of individuals to work’ (155). Support for these points comes from an international survey, undertaken around 2020, which suggested that post-pandemic almost half of the employees would work remotely at least some of the time (Insidehr 2023). In addition, conversations involving many Australian organisations indicated they ‘expect 80-90 per cent of their employees to work remotely at least some of the time from (2023 onwards)’ (no page). Following a similar interest, but with a broader data base using internal research, Muhammed (2023) distilled eight trends in workplaces. Hybrid workspaces were noted first, where hybrid work was considered to be when ‘employees decide on  …  when, where, and how to work in the best possible way that can help create an equilibrium in both work and personal life’ (no page). The other seven were technology-driven workspaces, renewed remote work policies, flexible work hours, virtual meetings, impact-driven work, social impacts and skill recognition. Clearly, most of these trends will directly influence professionals in their workplaces.

While there have been many reports, articles and comments about the effects of the pandemic on workers broadly, little seems to have been said about the environment profession specifically. However, comments like those of Lund et al. (2021, no page) indicate the broad feeling that ‘jobs with the highest physical proximity are likely to be the most disrupted’. From a survey of employers across Australia and all business sizes, the National Skills Commission (2022) found that, as a consequence of the pandemic, around one-third had brought in automation or new technology. In that context the Commission’s report, referencing an international PWC survey, noted that while ‘remote working was embraced during the height of the pandemic, some organisations have already foreseen a future of hybrid work with a mix of in person and remote work‘ (no page). Given the wide range of jobs and activities evidenced across the environment profession, there is unlikely to be a wholesale change in the locations of their work. However, the Commission reported that ‘some of the most important and rapidly growing skills needs over coming years  …  can be summarised as the “Four Cs”: care, computing, cognitive and communication skills’ (no page). Further, ‘data and digital skills are among the fastest growing emerging skills’ (no page). As noted earlier, results reported from the 2022 survey suggest that environment professionals have not indicated a high concern for technical skills. Nonetheless, given the comments just noted, environment professionals may have to give more attention to these skills.

Hence, all three issues (government, community and technology) have the potential to affect environment professionals in the future. Also, these professionals have the opportunity to work with the challenges and directly influence the evolution of the profession.

Conclusions

As with the earlier surveys, that in 2022 did not attempt to provide a comprehensive overview of the environment profession in Australia. Rather, it sought to understand if the profession is well placed to support society in the future. Through their responses, the sample of professionals surveyed has indicated that they are positive about their future roles. While there have been understandable ‘tweaks’ within the profession, over the nearly two decades of surveys, there appears consistency of focus, make-up and abilities of its members. There has been a move to the emphasis on educational qualifications, an evolution to engagement in broad roles and activities, increased employment in non-governmental positions, and expanded recognition of generic skills. Like other survey participants, the recent respondents were happy with their career, with only a small minority thinking of other options. Participants acknowledged that there were challenges for both their employment industry and for the environment/sustainability sector as a whole. Importantly, they also see opportunities, for both their industry area and sector, to build on community and governmental support for issues associated with environment/sustainability.

In this context, the participants’ responses have indicated some options and actions to further consolidate and develop the environment profession. Broadly, community and government concern about environment/sustainability issues have been important in developing the range of policies, laws, actions and campaigns that have facilitated the growth and variety of employment for environment professionals. To maintain that momentum, and development of the profession, the individuals and their associations should continue to contribute to the various communities’ awareness and engagement in environmental thinking and action.

For many professionals, including environment professionals it can be assumed, the COVID-19 pandemic has facilitated substantial changes in their workplaces and the way they work. These types of changes were not targeted in the survey, and there was little indication in the responses that participants were making related comments. Consequently, in light of the recent work trends discussed previously, it is apparent that subsequent specific research will be valuable in supporting the environment profession in the future. In particular, research should be considered related to any changes of ways in which environment professionals now work (e.g. flexibility of location and the structure of their work time), expectations of their employer, their use of digital technology and data bases, and importantly the skills (and capabilities) they needed to demonstrate. Also valuable would be their perceptions of any future changes and possible implications for their profession. This research would importantly support other broad research relating to the evolving nature of the profession.

In tandem, relevant professional associations and employment facilitators (agencies and services) can research the types of support that environment professionals need to enter, and advance, their careers. How that support should best be provided also needs researching.

An ongoing task for the professional associations and tertiary educators is to ensure that the key generic skills, and important specific skills, identified through the survey are effectively embedded in graduates. This is most important in relation to those graduates of the specific environment/sustainability programs, but given the breadth of roles associated with the profession, and the discussion of sustainability being part of most employment areas, development of these skills through all educational programs will be increasingly important. This raises the issue of how educators will be able to undertake the challenge where there is financial pressure on education systems and pressure to adopt increasing levels of electronic delivery. Research to assess future options for educators would be a valuable activity for professional associations to consider.

Acknowledgements

Without the active support of Dr Ascelin Gordon, and the contributions of the participants to the survey, this valuable data about the environment profession would not be available to us.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).