Updated Report - Characterizing Hawai‘i's Natural Resources Management Sector: Jobs, Education, Salaries and Expenditures (May 2024)
In 2012, The University of Hawai‘i Economic Research Organization (UHERO), in cooperation with The Nature Conservancy Hawai‘i and Hau‘oli Mau Loa Foundation, published a report characterizing the natural resources management (NRM) sector in Hawai‘i. The analysis looked specifically at jobs, education, salaries, and expenditures and was conducted using survey data collected from organizations identified as being part of the NRM sector. Since 2012, the survey has been conducted three more times, in 2014 with a report
published in 2015, in 2018 with a report
published in 2019, and most recently in 2023. Natural resources are a vital component of Hawai‘i's culture and economy and we hope that identifying trends in the NRM sector will help to fill a current information gap and also help to inform future and emerging conservation professionals about the job availability and desired academic degrees in natural resources management.
We are pleased to share this latest report “Characterizing Hawai‘i's Natural Resources Management Sector: Jobs, Education, Salaries, and Expenditures” and key findings with you. This report was completed in partnership with The Nature Conservancy and SMS Research. There were two key changes to the survey this year. The first was not requiring participants to report on expenditures in the NRM sector, as this was a major barrier to completing the survey in previous years. Second, whereas previous reports included data on the energy and agriculture sectors, this year’s survey and report focused only on the natural resources management sector.
Key findings from the updated report:
- NRM jobs in Hawaiʻi are growing: Hawaiʻi’s NRM jobs were at least 4,994 in 2023, 6.3% higher than reported for 2018, which is equivalent to an annual growth rate of approximately 1.3%. The top five job types in the sector were: Administrative support, communications and outreach, field technician, natural resources manager, and grants management.
- Starting salaries continue to increase:
Ninety percent (90%) of NRM administrative salaries and 82% of field technician salaries were $41K or higher, 91% of professional or managerial salaries were $51K or higher, and 90% of executive salaries were $61K or higher.
- Educational Requirements: A bachelor’s degree was the most commonly reported education level for NRM administrative, field or technical, and professional or managerial employees. A master’s degree was the most commonly reported education level for NRM executives.
- Prioritization of cultural knowledge: The top five desired college majors in the sector were: Natural Resource Management, Environmental Studies, Biology, Ecology, and Hawaiian Studies. This is the first year that Hawaiian Studies has been in the top five for this category.
- Internships and Fellowships: Paid internships were offered by 50% of agencies surveyed compared to 47% in 2018. Paid fellowships were offered by 23% of agencies surveyed compared to 17% in 2018.
Read the full report here: 2024 NRM Sector Report FINAL
This study would not be possible without the support of Anna Pacheco, Samantha Larson, and Ivy Kwong (SMS Research), Brant Chillingworth and Elia Herman (KUPU), Ulalia Woodside (The Nature Conservancy), Mark Fox (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), Janis Reischmann (Rewired Consulting), Kimberly Burnett and Christopher Wada (UHERO), Christy Martin (Coordinating Group on Alien Pest Species), Sharon Ziegler-Chong (University of Hawai‘i at Hilo), and the 125 organizations that provided information and data via the survey.
