This study documents the employment patterns and demographic characteristics of recent PhDs in earth and space science. It summarizes the latest annual survey of recent earth and space science PhDs conducted by the American Geological Institute, the American Geophysical Union, and the Statistical Research Center of the American Institute of Physics. This survey was completed by 223 new PhDs. Job market indicators for 2001 showed that the job market for recent PhDs in the geosciences is basically as strong as any in the previous 5 years. Starting salaries were up in every employment sector, and starting levels for postdoctoral appointments remained at the same level as 2000. Of the PhD class of 2001, 78% found work in the earth and space sciences, and 98% were employed in science or engineering. Time spent looking for initial employment remained low, and 10% of new PhDs over the past 6 years had been employed for at least 1 year by the time they received their doctorates. PhDs in the earth and space sciences remain, as a group, the oldest among all of natural sciences and engineering PhDs. This characteristic could be attributed to the delay between earning a bachelor's degree and beginning graduate school, rather than spending more time in school. (SLD)