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Overall employment of social scientists is expected to grow about as fast as the average for all occupations through 2012. However, growth rates will vary by specialty. Anthropologists and archaeologists, geographers, and sociologists will experience average employment growth. However, employment of historians and political scientists will grow more slowly than average because these workers enjoy fewer opportunities outside of government and academic settings.
Despite projected job growth, competition will remain keen for social science positions. Many jobs in policy, research, or marketing, for which social scientists qualify, are not advertised exclusively as social scientist positions. Because of the wide range of skills and knowledge possessed by social scientists, many compete for jobs with other workers, such as market and survey researchers, psychologists, engineers, urban and regional planners, and statisticians.
A few social scientists will find opportunities as university faculty, although competition for these jobs also will remain keen. Usually, there are more graduates than available faculty positions, although retirements among faculty are expected to rise in the next few years. The growing importance and popularity of social science subjects in secondary schools are strengthening the demand for social science teachers at that level.
Anthropologists and sociologists will find opportunities performing policy research for consulting firms, nonprofit organizations, and social service agencies in such areas as crime, ethnic conflict, public health, and refugee policy. These social scientists also will be employed by various companies in product development, marketing, and advertising. Others are employed in human resources in conflict resolution and in issues relating to diverse workforces. As construction projects increase, archaeologists will be needed to perform preliminary excavations in order to preserve historical artifacts.
Geographers will have opportunities to utilize their skills to advise government, real-estate developers, utilities, and telecommunications firms on where to build new roads, buildings, power plants, and cable lines. Geographers also will advise on environmental matters, such as where to build a landfill or preserve wetland habitats. As the use of GIS technology expands, geographers will find numerous job opportunities applying GIS technology in non-traditional areas, such as emergency assistance, where GIS can track locations of ambulances, police, and fire rescue units and their proximity to the emergency. GIS technology will also be utilized in areas of growing importance, such as homeland security and defense.
Historians and political scientists also will find jobs in policy or research. Opportunities in government will be limited as government contracts out more work to the private sector or cuts research grants and funding for museums. Historians may find opportunities with historic preservation societies as public interest in preserving and restoring historical sites increases. Political scientists will be able to utilize their knowledge of political institutions to further the interests of nonprofit, political lobbying, and social organizations.
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