2021 Job Outlook

This page: Comments on the current job market | Next page: Comments on the impact of COVID-19 on respect for professional safety skills

Respondent comments: How would you describe the current job market for safety and health professionals?

Good.

I have not had a problem switching jobs in the last 10 years.

I would think with COVID and health in general being in the spotlight this would increase.

OK.

In demand.

I think the market is good for qualified safety professionals  Lots of employers are looking for not just technical expertise but also a depth in experience and soft skills to match.

Many openings in Rhode Island.

Very good.

Increased demand.

Secure.

Very strong for the right individual.

Scary.

The need for safety and health professionals is a great market that is needing employees since the advent of more jobs needed.

Pretty good.

Very good in Kentucky.   I've seen lots of safety jobs, especially construction safety positions advertised lately.  However, facilities in Kentucky have a tendency to overload the safety professional and they don’t stay for very many years.

Seeing an uptick in job postings for safety and health jobs since the start of 2021.

Very good.

Post COVID-19 the outlook looks good.

There are many, many people who consider themselves safety and health professionals. Of these, there are a sufficient number of qualified professionals, but there are far fewer qualified professionals than the population of those identifying as safety and health professionals.

It is shaking, not stable at all.

There is work out there. However, many companies who used to hire outside are filling positions internally or not replacing employees to cut costs.

Unknown.

Growing.

Flourishing

I believe the job market will expand for safety & health professionals as the economy expands again after COVID.

I have an existing vacancy for the last 2 months. Although there have been applicants, there appears to be a lack of candidates that fit the role.

Good.

The market is not so good as the current situation as the economy of the country is down.

Difficult to find jobs in my area for this type of work.

Generally very stable and with need for more safety team members within the industry at various levels.

Stable.

There is strong demand for H&S professionals. However, companies are not willing to increase pay to pace with demand. Those that are in their current roles are forced to leave the company to improve their pay situation but due to the vast differences of roles and responsibilities among the H&S positions, it is difficult to make a move.

Value to organizations is decreasing; changes in upper management work history (where they come from) is not valued as much.

Don't know.

Very good.

Good if you are willing to move around. Many young graduates with no or very little experience.

Promising. Growing demand for qualified EHS pros.

Extremely important. I do believe most companies will look within for safety and health.

I don’t have a good idea of what the market is like.  We have not hired or needed to hire in the past 12 months.

Stable.

I believe that there is plenty of opportunity for someone entering the market.

Good.

Steady.

Very limited.

Improving.

Good, but a little tenuous due to COVID.

Considering the pandemic, the safety & health field has many available positions for those seeking a profession in the field. The field is currently understaffed & needs qualified workers.

Shortage of safety professionals when networking with other safety professionals.

Could use more.

Administrative looks good; technical not so good.

COVID has highlighted the need for EHS professionals.

Tight right now due to COVID-19 but opening up aggressively soon.

Very strong with the right education and willingness to relocate.

Market is great for me but my experience is diverse. My job history is very stable.

Many young professionals with limited experience.

Strong – there are jobs available.

The same as a year ago.

Overall, it looks promising.

Equally mixed between companies requiring significant experience, fit and commitment and companies just wanting someone with the right education/qualifications to do the job.

Not sure.

There will always be a need. Some organizations like to hire within and incumbent will not have the experience needed to accomplish the task on the front end.

Good.

With the downturn in the Oil & Gas industry, the market is considerably worse than it was five years ago and is often one of the early things to be cut.

Seems to be more jobs than safety professionals. I constantly get contacted by recruiters even though I am not listed as looking or open to opportunities.

Excellent. More and more businesses/employers are getting on board with staffing safety and health professionals to manage their programs and improve the safety culture in their organizations.

Mixed. COVID has changed the workplace. Professionals have been somewhat affected as industries have closed. We are finding that highly qualified mid-career professionals are harder to recruit now.

I have not looked.

Positive market. I see more open positions now than I did 12 months ago.

Strong.

Seems a lot slower prior to COVID.

I am unable to speak to the S&H job market, as I have not explored the job market in a while. I would expect it to be strong as OSHA continues and is noting that they are increasing inspections. S&H professionals are needed to manage the OSHA requirements.

Good for degreed professionals.

Job market is not improving. Market may be shifting toward professional safety contractors.

Stable – based on certifications will expand as more employees gain OSHA minimum and advanced certifications.

Best I have seen in my 25 years as a safety professional.

When retirements or departures take place, some organizations aren’t electing to immediately refill the vacancy. Hopefully the position(s) is / are approved to be refilled “before” COVID-19 has the entire country in a “new normal”; however, organizations such as the one I work for don’t seem to be refilling if there isn’t a strong case or an urgent demand to get the position refilled. This doesn’t appear to be the case for ALL SH&E positions within the organization I work for, but appears to be the case for a few of those of lesser urgency.

About the same as it’s been. Employers want to save money so they are putting inexperienced staff in positions that require more experience and expertise.  Senior level H&S professionals have a hard time finding jobs with fair compensation for the experience and skill level.

Tough.

Underpaid but seen as non-essential.

The lack of compensation is hurting our state.

I think the current job market for safety and health professionals is tough. The pandemic has stopped many construction jobs, and led to many companies to evaluate or decrease safety and health staff.

I believe the current job market for safety and health professionals is stable.  More organizations are hiring safety and health professionals in order to keep employees safe, reduce and eliminate mishaps and reduce or avoid OSHA fines and penalties.

Stable.

I have not investigated this.

I still believe there are not enough positions for the amount of safety professionals who are available.  Most people who have one of these coveted work positions NEVER leave. We have a running joke in our Powder River Basin: Safety positions do not open up unless someone dies.

Strong job market for safety professionals with the appropriate credentials and college education.

Don’t know. Haven't explored the market.

Very hot.

I have not looked into this.

Horrible for those without a certificate like ASP, CSP, CHST, etc.

COVID opened the eyes to many companies and industries of the value of having a safety and health professional on staff but, at the same time, the job market is tumultuous and no one’s job is assured.

Fairly strong.

Big need.

The market has increased with the number of positions available. However, the number of available candidates has also increased.

Note: this is strictly for my area, Alberta. The outlook is fairly poor. There are many out-of-work professionals due to the oil and gas market volatility and COVID. The market will continue to stay depressed in the short and mid-term.

Busy.

Fair. But employees have to be diverse in experiences

Unchanged.

Excellent.

A lot of jobs available.

Low.

Poor.

Somewhat open.

Good.

Very good depending on industry and geographic region.

Due to the pandemic, not very good for safety positions.

I think that if possible employers were not so set on hiring someone with a college degree, they would find very qualified people.

I think that EHS professionals are being offered lower level positions than their relevant experience. Recruiters are very aggressive and don’t seem to understand that an individual does not want to move backwards in their career as they change jobs.

The job market for manufacturing looks strong.  Professional services and construction safety jobs are not as common.

It may have more value now since companies depended heavily on the safety team to get through the pandemic.

Sparse.

Due to economic instability, COVID-19 closures, etc., I would think that some displaced safety and health professionals would readily available.

Not good.

Growing and improving.

Not sure.

I see job postings for safety professionals pretty regularly, but with COVID many industries have taken a downturn and have cut back hiring. I would say it seems fairly flat right now but that it could be much hotter of a job market as the rest of industry pulls back up coming out of the past year’s uncertainty.

The need is slowly increasing for consultants and outsourced services.

In the Washington DC area the market is robust, due to the large number of government agencies and contractors.

Mediocre.

Robust.

Those that want a safety professional either pay low and want everything. Or there is 1 person for what should be a 2- or 3-person position, and pay well. Most are out of my area.

Stable.

Desperate.

Good right now! I think COVID-19 has created a few more job in this area.

Adequate, but someone cost (salary) prohibitive from the employer standpoint.

Wide open.

It is improving.

It appears to be very good at this time.  Plenty of safety jobs are advertised.

Steady.

Many jobs are available in my area.

Unknown.

Flat.

Tough due to the economy.   Many companies have had to cut back, and health and safety positions usually get caught in the layoffs.

Favorable for experienced and credentialed individuals.

Fairly bleak if you want to stay in the same geographic location.  Great if you want to move.

Good. General contractors are starting to realize that if crews on their jobs have a full-time safety person available they work safer and with more confidence.

I think the job market for safety professionals is strong, and there are many opportunities.

They are needed but not essential until a problem arises or pointed out. The funds are not there to hire safety, which is counterintuitive, but that is the way it is right now.

Good now. I work temp jobs for short duration ( less than 12 months ). I like this because I’m retired and I really don’t want a full-time 40+ hour job.

Until our governor loosens up the asinine COVID restrictions and things settle down, the project workload will not get back to pre-COVID conditions.

The job is there, but the standards are not being followed, as most employers expect the safety professionals to do everything.

Decrease hiring in oilfield and pipeline services.

Buoyant and full of candidates who have no experience and/or exposure to high-risk industry.

In demand because of progress in construction business and opening of new project sites.

The market is opening up rapidly and surely the H& S roles will have more value and employers will acknowledge the need of H&S professions more than ever before.

Need more effective commitment at managerial level to ground level.

Average considering West Asia poor countries.

It will likely increase under this current administration.

I believe this is a growing field as more companies see benefits in changing the way employees think and execute safety in their jobs. Safety professionals have a new format to get third-generation safety thinking and training to all employees to create a safety goal of zero harm to all employees in all industries. Safety is Everyone's Responsibility – let’s give employees the tools they need to succeed.

Room for growth.

Due to COVID, I suspect more emphasis is being put on safety and health of employees – strictly based on my observations relating to media coverage.

Too many non-skilled-level safety persons.

Good.

Some companies have reduced their staff and are now realizing how important OHS/EHS is to the organization.

Improved due to COVID and likely more OSHA regulation/enforcement.

Fair.

Rough, especially if you are older. And, a high percentage of HR/recruiter types have no idea what “transferable skills” mean.

Openings.

Growing in the manufacturing sector.

Excellent. However, for state government job openings in the safety area, they would also need to have knowledge in human resources. Specifically, labor relations, recruitment, workers’ compensation and job classifications.

Competitive.

Better than other professions in this current economy.

Growing!

Good.

Shortage of positions for safety professionals.

Most OSH professionals are working for less than they are worth and companies do not understand how much money OSH professionals can help them save money and improve productivity. There are not enough jobs for what is needed with in the OSH field.

Poor.

Spectacular.

I believe COVID has increased opportunities for safety and health professionals.

Very few opportunities for new OH&S mandates except for returning to work safely during and this pandemic.

Not better or worse, as positions are posted from an opening of an existing position.

Great opportunity.

I don’t know of any changes; job listings seem the same as the last couple of years.

I don’t know.

Fine.

There are lots of safety jobs on the market.

Don’t know.

I think the current job market for young professionals is very good and there are a lot of new jobs being waited to be filled by a good, experienced candidate.

Average.

Stable.

Unsure.

I can’t say about other construction companies. In the one that I’m working, it’s overrated, and no teamwork.

Very good.

Within the mining industry, the job market is tight. There seems to be a lack of qualified candidates.

Fair.

Overall, experienced and certified are in demand.

Seems a little scarce, but that may be due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

I have not been considering employment with another company so I am not sure how many openings there are for this type of career.

Mixed.

Very Good for maritime safety that is willing to work.

I have not looked, so I don’t know.

Very good in the construction industry.

I get a lot of applicants for all of my positions.

High demand for safety professionals.

There is a lot of opportunity in the EHS field if you are willing to work in all areas of the country!

Very good.

Strong.

There are safety positions available for someone that is willing to relocate.

Relatively level.

OK for true safety professionals but the downturn in Oilfield has hurt safety jobs that had been filled by people who hadn’t had more formal training and education.

Limited locations to work at but if willing to travel there is opportunity.

Weak for experienced safety professionals. Appears qualifications and salaries I see are for entry level (too low) or for managers of large companies who want a laundry list of accreditations. (I have CHST and CRIS.)

Strong for those with experience.

It seems all right.

Good.

The market in my area appears to be fairly open, with regular postings for Director level as well as inspection and training services.

Difficult.

It is extremely lacking, especially for experienced safety and health professionals. I get multiple calls from recruiters daily. There are more locally than I have ever seen in 20-plus years. I think there are two problems that have led to this issue. First is that what we are graduating from college programs are not given the proper tools to function in the health and safety profession. Second is that most graduates think that they do not need experience in the profession. This leads to the lack of professionals that we are seeing. The last part is that many companies are using one person for EH&S and therefore there are not enough places for the younger people to get experience and with that comes their ultimate failure and the increase of number of safety professionals needed.

With the increase of need for S&H professionals due to COVID-19, the market is high.

Very stable.

Organizations still do not take the profession as seriously as they should and will place anyone in the position. Also, they keep the pay low. They don’t worry about safety until they need to.

Stable if not improving, with OSHA fines increasing and the importance of safety it’s a stable profession.

Limited.

Very stable.

Recovering from the pandemic but not back to where it was.

Good in Omaha, NE.

My perception: Graduates from H&S University looking for more office job. My position is at least 50% on the floor working on changing H&S culture within the workforce and educating/leading operational management.

Slow due to COVID-19.

Stable to poor.

I see about the same openings as any other time.

Weak.

It is getting harder to find entry-level safety professionals as well as mid-level professionals.

There is a large market currently for SH&E. I’ve been approached many times with job offers and I’ve not shown an interest in the job market

I believe that COVID has allowed company executives to see the value of safety professionals. This has unlocked opportunities.

Employers have limited knowledge themselves but expect safety and health professionals to provide everything including safety management system, incident investigation, covering all the operations. However, those having years of experience in the same place, their knowledge & practice has become stereotype – as for all roles, not just safety and health.

Active.

Moderate.

Good.

Strong.

I believe COVID-19 has given safety professionals more of a leadership role with companies.

Very positive and increasing in demand not only in number but education as well.

Definite lack of qualified safety professionals.

About the same.

Jobs available if willing to relocate.

With the COVID pandemic I believe it will grow due to the realization of the importance of the role.

Excellent for those with related degrees and proper certification.

Good for those with the right skills.

Strong if you are willing to learn and open to relocate.

Very tense with few opportunities.

Will use a buddy or pal to fill positions of safety, so not very good.

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I’m not sure. I’m an HR generalist who specializes in the safety and training effort for my employer. Our HR department definitely needs more employees to navigate all the new governmental changing rules.  This will be especially true in safety if the state decides to become an OSHA State for our municipalities.

Do not know.

Neutral.

Stable. Even with a downward economic trend of the current administration, business has to address the increased regulations that come with big government.

Sporadically active.

Hard to find experienced, reliable safety pros that want to change companies. Plenty of job hoppers, title chasers, and contractor safety people out there, though.

The demand is very strong.

The market has recognized the need for qualified safety professionals in all areas of employment, both general industry and construction.

Good. I see a lot of openings in the area.

Very busy if you have the correct skill set with a few years of experience.

Qualified and certified safety professionals should not have a problem finding the right fit. However, from an economic perspective, it depends on the location (city, state) and position as to how much organizations are willing to spend.

Plenty of jobs.

The market is varied with specialties. The current job market shows that employers know that they need safety and health professionals but do not allow for good wages to follow the need. They are willing to offer low wages and allow for poor performance in safety. In other words, they are wanting to spend Chevy prices for Lamborghini performance.  I have looked at the market and at other jobs, and the wages are very poor. Allowing for poor performing or undereducated safety professionals to operate in a safety-poor environment which allow hazards and other issues to continue. They either don’t know or don’t care.