Dedicated geospatial programs produce enough graduates to cover about half the industry’s modelled annual demand. Including graduates from related disciplines creates a much larger potential pool… but those graduates still need pathways into geospatial work. How many make that transition remains unmeasured in the report’s model.
That distinction is central to WGIC’s The Global Geospatial Workforce report. Its findings point to a challenge that involves training, recruitment, geographic availability, and retention, alongside graduate numbers.
Two ways to read the workforce gap
The report models a global geospatial workforce of roughly 1.3 million professionals and annual demand for about 136,000 new workers in 2024. Dedicated geospatial degree and certificate programs, classified as Tier 1, produced about 68,000 graduates: approximately 50% of modelled demand.
Under the base scenario, that coverage falls to about 36% by 2035, while the annual shortfall grows from roughly 68,000 to 203,000.
The picture changes when the model includes Tier 2: graduates from related disciplines such as geography, environmental science, computer science and engineering. The model assumes these graduates could become ready for geospatial roles after three to six months of targeted training.
Together, the Tier 1 and Tier 2 potential pool equals about 146% of modelled annual demand in 2024, declining to approximately 106% by 2035.
These figures describe different levels of readiness. Dedicated graduates and adjacent graduates who require additional training cannot be treated as an interchangeable supply of available workers.
A potential pool needs a pathway
The three-to-six-month training period is a modelling assumption, not a measured average. The model also does not establish what share of adjacent graduates will enter geospatial employment.
That matters because potential coverage above 100% does not ensure vacancies will be filled. Candidates may pursue other careers, live elsewhere or need skills beyond those assumed. The narrowing margin towards 2035 makes successful transition increasingly important.
The report identifies bridge credentials as a priority supply intervention. These would help adjacent graduates develop geospatial skills through focused training, while employers and educators also improve the project readiness of dedicated geospatial graduates.
What flexible pathways can look like
The companion compendium, Bridging the Gap in Practice, documents 26 collaborations. Several illustrate ways to connect learning with professional practice.
Bootcamp GIS offers a practitioner-taught Enterprise GIS certificate organised around project workflows. The Indian Institute of Remote Sensing provides short courses, online learning and postgraduate study, creating entry points for learners with different backgrounds. The US SkillBridge program, with Geo Owl as a geospatial example, offers eligible transitioning service members civilian work experience before they leave military service.
These are different pathways. Their existence does not establish that they deliver the model’s assumed transition from adjacent graduate to geospatial employee. The compendium does not provide conversion rates for these examples, leaving an important question about employment outcomes.
Three questions for employers
Employers can help turn the potential pool into a practical recruitment pathway.
Who can apply? Review whether job descriptions welcome relevant adjacent qualifications and distinguish essential entry skills from those that can be taught.
Where is the bridge? Work with education providers on paid internships, supervised projects or co-taught modules that connect training with workplace requirements.
What happens afterwards? Track how many learners complete training, enter geospatial roles and remain employed after a defined period. Shared measures would help establish which pathways work and where learners need more support.
The report’s workforce arithmetic identifies an opportunity. Realising it requires training linked to jobs, employers willing to recruit across disciplines, and evidence about who successfully enters and stays in the profession.
Explore the supply model and bridge-credential recommendations in The Global Geospatial Workforce: State of the Workforce, the Skills Gap and a Roadmap to 2030, alongside the examples in Bridging the Gap in Practice.
The future of geospatial depends on the people who develop, apply and maintain its technologies. Understanding how that workforce is changing is essential for organisations investing in skills, education and growth.
The Global Geospatial Workforce examines the scale and composition of the workforce, the pathways supplying new talent, and the implications of artificial intelligence and changing industry needs.
