The unemployment rate reached 19.5%, up from 18.7% three months earlier, while the underemployment rate remained at 23.4%, according to a survey by the Australian Institute of Geoscientists.

The combined unemployed and underemployed rate hit 42.9%, the highest level since AIG started the surveys in June 2009.

AIG said the figures proved that geoscientist employment in Australia had been in continuous decline since September 2011, and had been at global financial crisis levels or worse since September 2013.

Close to 60% of self-employed geoscientists were unable to secure more than a quarter of desired work during the first three months of 2016, signalling a real unemployment rate of 33.3%.

And nearly half had been without work for more than 12 months, up 5% from December, and two thirds were not confident of regaining employment during the next year.

Over a third of the unemployed and underemployed have more than 30 years’ experience.

AIG president Wayne Spilsbury said Australian geoscience was entering its third year of extraordinarily difficult employment conditions.

“These surveys, since 2009, have established a close link between geoscientist employment, exploration investment, resource discovery and the overall health of Australia’s mineral and energy resource industries,” he said.

“All AIG members know that the factors responsible for the prolonged downturn in geoscientist employment are the same ones damaging Australia’s resource development project pipeline.

“These are low metal prices (except gold), poor sentiment in the equity market leading to lack of access to fresh capital and green and red tape that slows and often prohibits access to land for early, non-destructive, early stage exploration.”

Despite the grim results, there were a few minor positive signs.

“The rate at which geoscientist unemployment has been increasing, particularly since September 2014, eased in the latest results,” Spilsbury said. 

“The proportion of geoscientists currently in employment who felt confident about the security of their jobs increased, even if only slightly, for the first time in 18 months.” 

“If there is light appearing at the end of the tunnel, then now is the best time to act to catalyse investment in exploration at state and federal levels to take full-advantage of an emerging opportunity. We need action to make this a reality.”