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Job outlook for industrial/organizational psychologists in the United States
Are industrial/organizational psychologist jobs in demand?
Industrial/organizational psychologist job and salary trends over time
Industrial/organizational psychologist jobs over time
Industrial/organizational psychologist job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 95 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 122 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 98 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 122 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 144 | 0.00% |
Average industrial/organizational psychologist salary over time
Industrial/organizational psychologist salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $92,751 | $44.59 | +3.6% |
| 2024 | $89,485 | $43.02 | --4.5% |
| 2023 | $93,705 | $45.05 | +11.7% |
| 2022 | $83,916 | $40.34 | +5.2% |
| 2021 | $79,735 | $38.33 | +7.0% |
Industrial/organizational psychologist jobs by state
Most common states for industrial/organizational psychologists
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 54 | 8% |
| 2 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 145 | 5% |
| 3 | Delaware | 961,939 | 47 | 5% |
| 4 | Illinois | 12,802,023 | 431 | 3% |
| 5 | Georgia | 10,429,379 | 289 | 3% |
| 6 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 197 | 3% |
| 7 | Wisconsin | 5,795,483 | 196 | 3% |
| 8 | Indiana | 6,666,818 | 192 | 3% |
| 9 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 168 | 3% |
| 10 | South Carolina | 5,024,369 | 142 | 3% |
| 11 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 112 | 3% |
| 12 | Oklahoma | 3,930,864 | 102 | 3% |
| 13 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 90 | 3% |
| 14 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 78 | 3% |
| 15 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 55 | 3% |
| 16 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 35 | 3% |
| 17 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 28 | 3% |
| 18 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 25 | 3% |
| 19 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 23 | 3% |
| 20 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 17 | 3% |
Most common cities for industrial/organizational psychologists
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | 2 | 0% | $83,216 |
| 2 | New York | 1 | 0% | $98,424 |
Industrial/Organizational Psychologist job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of industrial/organizational psychologist experts
Saint Peter’s University
Florida Institute of Technology
New York University
Framingham State University
Xavier University of Louisiana
California Lutheran University
Springfield College
Texas A&M University-Central Texas
Alma College
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Idaho State University
University of Michigan
Azusa Pacific University
Appalachian State University
University of Alaska Anchorage
Case Western Reserve University
Drexel University
St. Mary's College of Maryland
Washington State University
What Industrial/Organizational Psychologist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Timothy Oblad: With technology continue to advancing I think it's especially important that we 'keep up' with the virtual realms, data that becomes available and with that another look into ethical decisions. As speed becomes a factor (in how quickly we can receive data/information from clients or databases other important factors such as quality, source could become less important and so quality and trustworthiness remain important and should not be forgotten. Another point with technology is that psychologists will have many different career paths so being open and adaptive to tech will really help with attitude and willingness to try new things. Psychologists should think of their skills and activities as living and active entities that are built for these changes.
What will help Industrial/Organizational Psychologists increase their earning potential?
Timothy Oblad: For starters, prior to graduation I ask our students to start researching jobs, what jobs are available and where? Many students find career paths and job titles they didn't know existed which can be exciting for students to start imaging themselves in these different roles. This conversation has come up with a few students who have asked me to help them negotiate their salary and we have seen some success. I recommend also that graduates go into their new roles with an eager willingness to 'learn hard' be driven and focused and extremely responsible. This helps graduates become more prepared in their field and will impress people that you work with which also leads to having a strong reputation and really builds the beginnings of a networking system.
Dr. Christopher Robinson
Assistant Professor of Psychology and Psychology Program CoordinatorWhat general advice would you give to an Industrial/Organizational Psychologist?
Dr. Christopher Robinson: Psychology at its best can talk about how people are and about how we are now. We live in an ever more connected and yet fragmented world. Psychological research has been used to help us understand how different cultures approach the world, and also how changes in technology are effecting us. For example, a lot of good research is suggesting that our phones are destroying our ability to concentrate. If I had one piece of advice it would be to turn off as many notifications as you can.
We live in a world where information is ever more accessible, and other cultures are easy to learn about. A degree in psychology will help you organize and evaluate the information you are exposed to.
We also live in a world with an aging population, and there will be a need for psychologists to assess individuals, research new treatments, and work with individuals to help them maintain social and intellectual functioning.
There are good job prospects for people who become competent and eloquent in their psychological training, and this training also helps set up for advanced education.
What Industrial/Organizational Psychologist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Christopher Robinson: Some psychologists spend their days working with individuals with emotional, psychological, or neurological problems. Other psychologists spend their days in research, from studying basic sensation to complex animal and human behavior. Some, such as myself teach and mentor students.
Starting out, you would most likely major in psychology at either a bachelor's level or higher. I would also recommend trying to find an internship or other opportunity to begin working in areas that interest you. For example, if you are interested in working with individuals with autism, you might find possibilities with places such as the Marcus Autism Center.
What will help Industrial/Organizational Psychologists increase their earning potential?
Dr. Christopher Robinson: I like psychology because it stands at the intersection of many fields. I've been able to study everything from how the brain converts sounds into music to cross-cultural variations in music preference. I study everything from how brains work normally, to how they fall apart, and how we can repair them. We get to work with a wide range of people, and usually I finish my days feeling like I have been helpful. What do I hate? Everyone asking me if I am analyzing them when they find out I am a psychologist.
What soft skills should all Industrial/Organizational Psychologists possess?
Andrea Bubka Ph.D.: Communication-verbal and written, able to work independently and collaboratively, flexibility, leadership, critical thinking, and problem-solving. These skills are just as important as technical skills.
What hard/technical skills are most important for Industrial/Organizational Psychologists?
Andrea Bubka Ph.D.: Designing and conducting experiments, statistically analyzing data, writing APA lab reports, creating presentations and posters.
Patrick Aragon
Licensed Psychologist, Assistant Professor & Assistant Director of Clinical TrainingFlorida Institute of Technology
School of Psychology
What skills will help Industrial/Organizational Psychologists earn the most?
Patrick Aragon: Earning potential varies a lot. Many presenters speaking to psychology students will often say, "we don't get into this for the money." However, I find that to be a bit of a misnomer. Depending on the area you work in, salaries can be quite competitive. Anytime you can find a specific niche and be categorized as an expert, there is potential for consultation. This may be in the form of phone calls when the firm has questions, training, or talks to the whole staff. So finding a direction that helps you stand out and getting enough on your resume to prove that can be quite helpful.
Anil Chacko Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Director of Counseling Psychology Doctoral ProgramNew York University
Department of Applied Psychology
What hard/technical skills are most important for Industrial/Organizational Psychologists?
Anil Chacko Ph.D.: Use and interpretation of validated assessments.
Deborah McMakin Ed.D., M.A., MSW, LICSW
Associate Professor, Program Coordinator, Counseling PsychologyFramingham State University
Department of Psychology and Philosophy
What soft skills should all Industrial/Organizational Psychologists possess?
Deborah McMakin Ed.D., M.A., MSW, LICSW: -Soft skills are central to clinicians' work. For example, communication skills are an integral part of clinicians' work with clients, colleagues, and supervisors. Communication skills include non-verbal and verbal skills of attending, active listening, attending to the client, and contextual factors. I see active listening as a skill set that is crucial to all aspects of clinical work, including assessment, diagnosis, treatment planning, developing rapport with clients, and engaging in group and individual supervision.
- Written communication skills are essential for documenting services, assessment, and treatment planning. As a faculty member, supervisor and clinician, I teach and have students practice active listening skills, including attending to the client and contexts, receiving and sending messages. Clinicians must also have excellent communication skills as they communicate ethical guidelines (e.g., informed consent, limits of confidentially) to clients so that the client can understand while simultaneously developing a therapeutic alliance with the client, which may be an individual family or group.
-Finally, written communication skills are also essential to a clinician's work. Writing clearly and succinctly is essential as clinicians must document the assessment process, engagement, and interventions with clients and collateral contacts. Documentation requires the clinician to describe situations, clients' thoughts, and behaviors and distinguish their observations from interpretations. Documentation is essential for the advocacy of clients who are often marginalized. Finally, clinicians often collaborate with colleagues to write grants and/or conduct program evaluations.
-Critical thinking, perspective-taking, and self-monitoring inform and support clinicians' communication skills as described above. Clinicians identify and critically evaluate sources of information when conducting assessments and considering systemic forces that may support or oppress populations. Clinicians utilize perspective-taking to consider clients and systemic forces that may support or challenge their well-being. Perspective-taking is essential to effectively communicating across differences, supporting cultural humility, and motivating for change. Clinicians are continually assessing their internal states, behaviors, and social identities. They consider how their attitudes, life experiences, and current life circumstances affect how they assess and engage with clients, colleagues, and supervisors.
-Finally, clinicians are open to learning and constructive feedback. In the past decade, mental health providers have moved to electronic record-keeping and
What skills will help Industrial/Organizational Psychologists earn the most?
Deborah McMakin Ed.D., M.A., MSW, LICSW: -Demonstrated effectiveness of aforementioned skills
-Supervision (formal and informal mentorship and collaborative leadership)
-When clinicians assume leadership roles within human service agencies (i.e., program director), they often earn more money
Brian Turner Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Psychology | Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Moments of Truth, LLCXavier University of Louisiana
Department of Psychology
What skills stand out on Industrial/Organizational Psychologist resumes?
Brian Turner Ph.D.: The biggest skills are probably not skills per se. They are the accomplishments, certifications/licensures, and training a person may have. Clearly, earning degrees would mean a person has met a minimum educational expectation. Having completed an APA accredited graduate program, an APA accredited Internship, and/or Post doctoral training shows the normal path has been met. Licensure as a psychologist is huge as it shows a person has met expectations to practice psychology, and further certifications will demonstrate additional formal training in specific areas of interests, practice, or competency. Training is both finite and ongoing. Having current licensure ensures that a person is maintaining ongoing expectations to meet professional practice requirements. Training is also specific to learning more specifics of therapy, professionalism, theories, etc. that all increase a person's ability to be a highly qualified professional.
What skills will help Industrial/Organizational Psychologists earn the most?
Brian Turner Ph.D.: It seems the greatest skill(s) to help a person earn the most is to be the best professional they can be. Unfortunately, it is not the norm within the mental health industry to make a huge sum of money in the early phase of one's career due to various issues that include but not be limited to organizational structure, geographic limitations, lack of information about the real mental health needs of the service population, and in general, there is, or can be an undervaluing of mental health care providers. In the end, a qualified and professional practitioner will be able to set a nice income level based on their commitment to being well trained, highly professional, and in tune with the needs of those they serve.
What soft skills should all Industrial/Organizational Psychologists possess?
Dr. Julie Kuehnel: Communication, interpersonal skills! This is huge.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Industrial/Organizational Psychologists?
Elizabeth Morgan Ph.D.: There seems to be the potential for a number of cross-cutting impacts on graduates from a variety of disciplines related to the coronavirus pandemic, including interruptions in their academic pursuits (e.g., taking more time to finish due to lack of internships, ability to complete coursework due to family obligations or health issues, or a lack of finances to pay for their education).
Once graduated, it is likely that they are encountering a shrinking marketplace for hiring, with companies enacting freezes due to economic uncertainty. Furthermore, more young adults are turning to live with parents, which might make it harder to find a job since they are tied to a residence (or because they may not need to work if parents are subsidizing them).
Related to Psychology in particular, graduates may find an increased need for mental health workers due to lasting effects from workplace instability, social isolation, and health fears. There will likely be enduring changes in the way human services are provided, including increased telehealth practices or services provided via webinars versus in-person programming that might require additional training or acquiring a new skill set on the job.
How do you envision technology impacting Industrial/Organizational Psychologists in the next 5 years?
Elizabeth Morgan Ph.D.: The forced use of technology to connect with others during the pandemic will likely encourage lasting change in education, counseling and human services, business and marketing endeavors, research, and other areas where graduates in psychology end up. This will create shifts in what the jobs look like, what training is needed, and even perhaps the mental health and well-being of workers in general. As these technological changes are introduced, new graduates will need to learn and embrace them to keep up with the trends, as well as evaluate their effectiveness.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Industrial/Organizational Psychologists to find work opportunities?
Elizabeth Morgan Ph.D.: One potential outcome of the pandemic is that place may matter less as jobs are created and sustained with remote work environments. For example, it might be possible to participate in education endeavors, community mental health, human services in general, or consulting remotely, which render geography less important.
In addition, there will likely be changes in the types of jobs available to graduates in Psychology as employers are rethinking employee productivity in the wake of the coronavirus and need human resources specialists or industrial/organizational psychologists to consult on organizational change. Individuals with training and experience in delivering services remotely may find themselves able to secure some of these new positions; recent graduates will have a leg up in that regard since they experienced training in a remote environment.
Dr. Sam Fiala Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department ChairTexas A&M University-Central Texas
Department of Counseling & Psychology
What Industrial/Organizational Psychologist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Sam Fiala Ph.D.: Because the undergraduate degree in Psychology prepares students for such a wide array of career options, a gap year is often helpful in narrowing one's focus. Students should seek employment, volunteer, and academic/research opportunities during this time to help them identify both what they are looking for in a career and what career paths might not be best for them.
Natashia Swalve Ph.D
Assistant Professor of Psychology, Chair of PsychologyAlma College
Psychology Department
What experience really stands out on Industrial/Organizational Psychologist resumes?
Natashia Swalve Ph.D: Any experience directly related to their future career is essential, from volunteer work to internships to a paid position. For example, if you want to work with patients with a mental illness, working at a group home would be beneficial. Suppose you want to work as a victim advocate, volunteer with domestic violence services. Even if you can't do it in person, try to do virtual work, volunteering to work on websites, or doing data entry. Showing you're committed to a specific cause and understanding the challenges of working with particular populations is invaluable to employers.
Xiaomeng (Mona) Xu Ph.D.
Associate Professor of PsychologyIdaho State University
Department of Psychology
What type of skills will young Industrial/Organizational Psychologists need?
Xiaomeng (Mona) Xu Ph.D.: While it varies from occupation to occupation (e.g., some fields require very specific skills), there are general skills and traits employers typically look for in applicants. These include effective communication, leadership skills, teamwork, and interpersonal skills, problem-solving skills, decision-making skills, solving complex problems, integrating and applying knowledge, critical thinking and reasoning skills, technical skills, and ability to learn and adapt quickly, being highly motivated, being ethical, and self-management skills (e.g., initiative, accountability, organization). Many professionals may also require research skills such as being able to design, collect, analyze, interpret and disseminate data accurately. And especially in our current times when there is so much information available, it's a very useful skill to be able to assess the reliability of evidence and sources.
Psychology students develop many of these skills through coursework, research experience, and other types of training (e.g., clinical work). Here are a couple of resources that may be useful:
1) An APA guide to using the bachelor's degree in psychology: https://www.apa.org/careers/resources/guides/bachelors#
2) Appleby's online career-exploration resources for psychology majors: http://teachpsych.org/page-1603066#appleby. The "For Students" resource "consists of more than 2,400 hotlinks psychology majors can use to explore 300 careers they can prepare to enter that have been organized into 15 broad occupational categories to facilitate searching."
What experience really stands out on Industrial/Organizational Psychologist resumes?
Xiaomeng (Mona) Xu Ph.D.: Experiences that are the most similar to the job you are applying for. So if you are applying for a research job, having lots of past research experience would stand out. Leadership experiences and indications of highly effective work (e.g., awards, accolades, impressive products, or outcomes) also stand out. Professional development experiences and other signs that you are challenging yourself and consistently improving are also notable. Ideally, you also have strong references. If asked about a particular experience on your resume, you can speak compellingly about your role, accomplishments, and how that experience illustrates the skills and traits needed for the job.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Industrial/Organizational Psychologist job market given the pandemic?
Dr. Pamela Davis-Kean Ph.D.: More students are looking for opportunities to get jobs outside of academia. For the social sciences, this generally means increasing their quantitative skills to apply to jobs that are more oriented toward getting out reports than journal articles. All of the prominent colleges and Universities went on hiring freezes during the pandemic shut down in March 2020.
The academic job market had not yet fully recovered from the most recent recession, and still had a glut of post-docs on the market, making it difficult for those coming out of graduate school to go directly into academic positions. This situation is now even worse. Also, faculty who are of retirement age (62 and older) are not retiring. This means that departments cannot "refresh" their faculty, and so there are still only a small amount of actual jobs for the number of post-docs and graduate students that we are putting on the market each year. I expect we will see a trend into large research organizations like RAND, and for others to move in the direction of companies like Facebook, Twitter, Google, and Amazon who have extensive research teams.
What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Industrial/Organizational Psychologists in the next 3-5 years?
Dr. Pamela Davis-Kean Ph.D.: Data science (visualization, analyzing data from wearables, machines, social media, etc.) will continue to be the skills needed. More data is provided through phones, the web, wearables, and other hardware and software to understand human behavior. There is a strong demand for these skills in engineering and medicine as well. To meet the demand, more training is needed across all areas and not just STEM areas. For example, data journalism is now a "thing," and analyzing text is essential for gathering information for everyone. So the humanities and social sciences should all be considering training in machine learning and visualization of data.
Will there be an increase or decrease in demand for Industrial/Organizational Psychologists in the next 5 years?
Dr. Pamela Davis-Kean Ph.D.: I think there will always be a demand for higher education. We need an educated workforce to deal with all the technological demands we have in the future. Having students trained in human behavior that you see in the social sciences is essential to have connected to the technologies that are providing lots of this data. These sciences are still collecting data through polls and surveys, which is becoming a relatively old way of getting information on people.
There will be less demand for the classically trained research psychologist and more for the data-trained psychologists. You can see this movement already occurring on campuses with the increase of cognitive science departments, which is bringing together brain and learning sciences with engineering sciences. I suspect we will see similar movements in humanities. Finding a job in the societies is incredibly tricky, and it is unclear what the demand will be for these positions in the future when not combined with more "text to data" training.
Brian Collisson Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Director of Traditional UG Psychology ProgramsAzusa Pacific University
Department of Psychology
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Industrial/Organizational Psychologist job market given the pandemic?
Brian Collisson Ph.D.: Psychology is a highly versatile and marketable degree. It's imperative that psychology programs continue to survey future employers and embed skills most in demand within their curriculum. Given Gen Z's focus on diversity, culture, and inclusiveness, their own mental health struggles and previous experience with therapy, as well as their desire to help others - particularly in regard to overcoming the negative effects of living through a global pandemic and continued racial injustice - I expect graduates with strong social, personal, communication, and critical thinking skills to be competitive in a tight job market.
What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Industrial/Organizational Psychologists in the next 3-5 years?
Brian Collisson Ph.D.: I expect APU and psychology, in particular, to embrace technology that breaks down any barrier to helping others. For instance, online and telehealth services will continue to improve accessibility to therapy, even after a vaccine has been shared. High-quality distance learning - where students engage synchronously with their peers and classmates - may continue to help students learn and develop the skills needed to pursue their professional goals at flexible times that fit their schedules.
What type of skills will young Industrial/Organizational Psychologists need?
Dr. Denise Martz Ph.D.: -Critical thinking, know how to pull knowledge from science rather than opinion, politics, religion, etc.
-Understanding self and others through the lens of psychology to be more effective employees
-Empathy and communication skills
-It understands human diversity on many levels, age, race, gender, sexual orientation, etc.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Industrial/Organizational Psychologists to find work opportunities?
Dr. Denise Martz Ph.D.: BA/BS level psych majors tend to find jobs in human services, human resources in business, and science/math/research. The best way to find these jobs is through O*Net, Career services at your university, or through job search engines. You need to see the right key search terms for BA/BS like "counselor" because psychologists usually are for doctoral-level trained professionals.
What type of skills will young Industrial/Organizational Psychologists need?
Sara Buckingham Ph.D.: Psychologists are people who have completed a Ph.D. or PsyD in clinical or counseling psychology and have completed sufficient clinical training and passed national and state exams to become licensed in their country. This license allows them to practice health services psychology - to conduct assessments and provide psychotherapy. Psychologists often also teach at universities, perform research in various settings, and provide consultation to individuals and organizations.
Some psychologists even work in policy-making and advocacy! Quality counseling and clinical psychology Ph.D. and PsyD programs in the United States are accredited by the American Psychological Association to make sure students develop competence in the skills they will need as psychologists: written and oral communication skills, interpersonal skills, clinical skills (for both assessment and treatment), research skills, cultural competence, ethics, and professionalism, to name a few! Because you can have many different types of jobs as a psychologist, the specific skills you need as you enter the workforce vary tremendously, but these foundational skills will set you up for success.
How do you envision technology impacting Industrial/Organizational Psychologists in the next 5 years?
Sara Buckingham Ph.D.: In many ways, COVID-19 has forced the field of psychology into the future. Many psychologists now practice "telepsychology" - providing psychotherapy and sometimes even assessment over videoconference. While technology can pose some challenges, it also helps psychologists deliver services safely to people who might not otherwise have access. Many psychologists use electronic platforms for record-keeping, and many of us are even incorporating apps into our practice these days. Some psychologists also teach and research distanced ways, thanks to technology. I expect that technology will continue to be incorporated into the field as it continues to develop.
Grover Gilmore Ph.D.
Dean of the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social SciencesCase Western Reserve University
Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences
What type of skills will young Industrial/Organizational Psychologists need?
Grover Gilmore Ph.D.: The gifts are timeless. To be successful, a social worker needs to be a good problem solver and communicator. The information learned in a graduate program gives one a solid base of theory and applications. But one will soon face a challenge that was not covered in class. In that situation, one must use their problem-solving skills to assess the situation, develop a plan of action, execute, and evaluate that plan. Communicating their plan and findings to their clients, colleagues, and supervisors then form a base of knowledge on which they and others can benefit from what has been learned.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Industrial/Organizational Psychologists to find work opportunities?
Grover Gilmore Ph.D.: The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts that social workers' employment will grow over the next ten years at a much faster rate than the average of all occupations. People can pick where they want to work. Our experience is that a large proportion of students choose to stay in the area where they received their graduate training, even though they originated in other parts of the country. The networking that occurs during field education in social work is a strong predictor of where one will have their first job.
What experience really stands out on Industrial/Organizational Psychologist resumes?
John Medaglia Ph.D.: A degree in psychology has broad appeal because every career involves people. Sometimes, people underestimate psychology's value because they think that it's "soft" science or an easy way out. Anyone who has worked with or studied people knows that understanding ourselves and one another, in and out of work, is immensely important. Like many degrees, what you do with your degree is as much as you make of it.
When crafting a resume, it's essential to think about the roles you are applying to and how you can maximize your value to potential employers. For any job, there are a few general things that are always appealing. Whether I interview people in academia or advise recruitment for industry, I cannot emphasize enough the value of being and showing that you are a do-er. In many desirable places to work, employers are looking for people who are willing to jump in, learn quickly, and take the initiative to improve whatever it is they do.
So, if you've been involved in extracurricular roles and assumed leadership positions, that's very valuable. Increasingly, competence with technology like programming, working with or designing computer interfaces or devices, or thinking about improving systems to make people more efficient is very appealing. It's also helpful to know if an employer is looking for specific skills or will create a more holistic assessment of your personality and drive, helping you tailor your applications accordingly.
How do you envision technology impacting Industrial/Organizational Psychologists in the next 5 years?
John Medaglia Ph.D.: Technology is changing almost everything for psychology. In some ways, it's revealing why we need psychology now more than ever. Concerning changes for modern psychology trainees, I cannot overstate the value of learning how to code (write programs). It improves your thinking and gives you the ability to confront a vast range of challenges in the modern workplace. Even if it doesn't feature heavily in your job, you might be working with developers and programmers, so some coding ability and intuition help teams.
Also, human-computer interfaces are one of the fastest-growing areas in the industry. That involves a lot of psychology, and psychologists who are comfortable with technology are incredibly marketable. At the same time that these exciting fields are growing, we see record levels of depression in the United States, and there will be no shortage of a need for help in the foreseeable future.
Also, as long as humans have to interact with and aim to benefit from technology, we need to understand how and why people interact. For example, psychologists can help research and design better user interfaces, mitigate biased algorithms, and measure the mind and behavior to serve users and the bottom line better. Also, it's easier than ever to get and analyze vast amounts of data quickly. In industry, these data can improve employee happiness and efficiency, remove roadblocks and biases in organizational management, and identify new and better ways to communicate.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Industrial/Organizational Psychologists?
John Medaglia Ph.D.: The effects of COVID-19 will be felt for years to come. In many ways, the pandemic has accelerated many trends that were already underway: wealth inequality, job automation, and economic strains on higher education. Commensurately, the need for mental health professionals has increased rapidly. Also, our increasing reliance on technologies that facilitate remote meetings and services is here to stay.
For example, health care professionals worried for years that delivering psychological services online would hamper treatment effects. COVID-19 pushed everyone to do it, despite these reservations, increasing access to hard-to-reach communities that might not otherwise receive benefits. In a technological society, there are ample and growing opportunities for psychologists to improve our academia, healthcare, and industry practices. My advice to recent psychology graduates is to think broadly about their fit in many contexts and be entrepreneurial in creating new opportunities that might not have existed before.
Elizabeth Williams Ph.D.
Faculty Senate President and Professor of PsychologySt. Mary's College of Maryland
Department of Psychology
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Industrial/Organizational Psychologists to find work opportunities?
Elizabeth Williams Ph.D.: I am biased, but I think that degrees in psychology work well with all other fields and help open doors in many work areas. While psychology majors learn psychological content, they also learn about effective research design, including focusing on critical thinking, information literacy, written expression, and oral presentation. Plus, honing one's interpersonal skills is always a plus!
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Industrial/Organizational Psychologists?
Carrie Cuttler Ph.D.: I believe there will be enduring impacts of the coronavirus on graduates. Given the economic burden that many institutions and businesses are facing and lay offs, they have had to make it may be more difficult for graduates to find employment opportunities after graduating. At the same time, I have heard of several universities that are ramping up hiring in an attempt to attract high-quality candidates that they may have had more trouble attracting under more typical circumstances.