Latest Data: 2020
This section reviews data provided by respondents working in development-led archaeology. Question logic was used in the survey so that only respondents that identified that they undertook contractor or consultancy work saw and answered these questions.
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The following table (1.5.1) presents a breakdown of respondents turnover. It also includes data the the State of the Archaeological Market to present a time-series of the results.
Table 1.5.1: Respondents to the turnover question and the total, average, median, highest and lowest responses from 2013-14 to 2019-20. UK only.
| 2013-14 | 2014-15 | 2015-16 | 2016-17 | 2017-18 | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Respondents | 20 | 39 | 24 | 32 | 31 | 33 | 47 |
| Total turnover | £32,834,400 | £73,302,177 | £70,275,504 | £75,148,256 | £79,153,726 | £52,065,477 | £109,263,648 |
| Average turnover | £1,641,720 | £1,879,543 | £2,928,146 | £2,348,383 | £2,553,346 | £1,577,742 | £2,324,758 |
| Median | £740,935 | £864,000 | £755,618 | £643,500 | £1,000,000 | £250,000 | £550,000 |
| Highest | £6,578,420 | £10,905,000 | £12,484,000 | £13,500,000 | £14,100,000 | £16,434,811 | £16,434,811 |
| Lowest | £68,000 | £54,000 | £15,100 | £33,000 | £20,553 | £4,500 | £2,000 |
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The distribution of respondents’ turnover is presented in Table 1.5.2.
Table 1.5.2: Distribution of turnover from 2014-15 to 2019-20. UK only.
| Turnover | 2014-15 | 2015-16 | 2016-17 | 2017-18 | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Count | % | Count | % | Count | % | Count | % | Count | % | |
| ≥ £10m | 2 | 5% | 3 | 12% | 3 | 9% | 3 | 10% | 2 | 6% | 5 | 11% |
| £5m – £10m (exclusive) | 3 | 8% | 4 | 16% | 2 | 6% | 2 | 10% | 1 | 3% | 1 | 2% |
| £2.5m – £5m (exclusive) | 2 | 5% | 0 | 0% | 1 | 3% | 1 | 3% | 2 | 6% | 2 | 4% |
| £1m – £2.5m (exclusive) | 8 | 21% | 3 | 12% | 6 | 19% | 9 | 29% | 5 | 15% | 11 | 23% |
| £500,000 – £1m (exlusive) | 13 | 33% | 7 | 28% | 8 | 25% | 7 | 23% | 1 | 3% | 6 | 13% |
| £250,000 – £500,000 (exlusive) | 7 | 18% | 3 | 12% | 4 | 13% | 6 | 19% | 6 | 18% | 5 | 11% |
| < £250,000 | 4 | 10% | 5 | 20% | 8 | 25% | 3 | 10% | 16 | 48% | 17 | 36% |
| Total Responses | 39 | 25 | 32 | 31 | 33 | 47 | ||||||
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On the basis of reported turnover, calculated per member of staff and the total estimated number of archaeologists working in development-led archaeology in the UK in 2019-20, it is estimated that the total financial value (turnover) of UK development-led archaeology in 2019-20 was £224m.
Table 1.5.3: The average turnover per employee, estimated number of archaeologists and total value of the development-led archaeology sector, from 2013-14 to 2019-20. UK only.
| Year | Avg. per staff member | Estimated development-led archaeologists | Sector size |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | £51,187 | 4,375 | £224m |
| 2018-19 | £48,696 | 4,152 | £202m |
| 2017-18 | £48,747 | 3,997 | £195m |
| 2016-17 | £45,309 | 3,743 | £170m |
| 2015-16 | £45,615 | 3,481 | £159m |
| 2014-15 | £45,914 | 3,284 | £151m |
| 2013-14 | £56,237 | 2,871 | £161m |
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Companies working in development-led archaeology on average returned a profit (or surplus, for charitable organisations) of 2%. This low level of profit being reported across the sector is potentially unsustainable. 41% of respondents reported profits of less than 5% of the value of their turnovers, including several that reported annual losses of up to £482,373. The average profit/surplus per FTE member of staff was £3,663, the median was £2,550.
For comparison, in sectors outside archaeology, the average profit level for all UK private non-financial services companies in 2020 was 15% (ONS).
Table 1.5.4: Distribution of profits, mean, median and ranges of reported profits from 2011 to 2020. Includes UK service sector private non-financial companies net rate of return (ONS).
| Oct-11 | Apr-12 | Dec-12 | Mar-14 | Mar-15 | Mar-16 | Mar-17 | Mar-18 | Mar-19 | Mar-20 | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Count | % | Count | % | Count | % | Count | % | Count | % | Count | % | Count | % | Count | % | Count | % | |
| <5% | 16 | 73% | 15 | 75% | 28 | 70% | 18 | 75% | 23 | 70% | 11 | 52% | 14 | 44% | 12 | 44% | 7 | 23% | 21 | 41% |
| 5-10% | 2 | 9% | 3 | 15% | 9 | 23% | 3 | 12% | 6 | 18% | 4 | 19% | 4 | 13% | 5 | 19% | 6 | 19% | 10 | 20% |
| 10-25% | 3 | 14% | 2 | 10% | 2 | 5% | 3 | 12% | 4 | 12% | 3 | 14% | 13 | 41% | 6 | 22% | 7 | 23% | 11 | 22% |
| >25% | 1 | 5% | 0 | 0% | 1 | 3% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 3 | 14% | 1 | 3% | 4 | 15% | 11 | 35% | 9 | 18% |
| Total count | 22 | 20 | 40 | 24 | 33 | 21 | 32 | 27 | 31 | 51 | ||||||||||
| Mean | £31,582 | £46,637 | £154,438 | £121,252 | £211,531 | £93,630 | £135,785 | |||||||||||||
| Median | £0 | £5,500 | £50,000 | £43,000 | £60,000 | £50,000 | £19,857 | |||||||||||||
| Lowest | -£3,000 | -£1,000,000 | -£75,000 | -£286,000 | -£26,297 | -£49,000 | -£482,373 | |||||||||||||
| Highest | £251,000 | £935,000 | £799,000 | £1,000,000 | £1,800,000 | £828,383 | £2,329,494 | |||||||||||||
| UK service sector private non-financial companies net rate of return | 12% | 14% | 14% | 16% | 18% | 16% | 15% | 14% | 16% | 15% | ||||||||||
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Several organisations reported profit margins of over 25%, however, those were all small organisations and in no case was total value greater than £65,000.
Table 1.5.5: Mean, median and highest and lowest values of profits for those who reported >25% profit as % of turnover in 2020.
| Profit | |
|---|---|
| Mean | £29,793 |
| Median | £24,996 |
| Highest | £65,000 |
| Lowest | £1,895 |
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Distribution of turnover across the UK closely matches overall population distribution.
Table 1.5.6: Turnover originating from work undertaken by organisations in each of these locations in 2016-17 to 2019-20.
| England | Scotland | Wales | Northern Ireland | Republic of Ireland | Rest of the world | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | 85% | 7% | 2% | 0% | 4% | 2% |
| 2018-19 | 87% | 6% | 6% | 0% | 0% | 1% |
| 2017-18 | 92% | 3% | 4% | 1% | 0% | 0% |
| 2016-17 | 88% | 7% | 4% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
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Image Credit
Infrared Beamline Lab by IAEA Imagebank. From Flickr CC BY 2.0
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CREDITS
Title: Profiling the Profession
2020 Authors: Kenneth Aitchison, Poppy German and Doug Rocks-Macqueen
Published by: Landward Research Ltd
Version Date: 2021
ISBN: 978-0-9572452-8-0
DOI: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.14333387
License: CC BY SA 4.0 for all text and figures. Header images are from different sources check image credits for their specific licensing.
2020 funders: Historic England, with support from Historic Environment Scotland, CIfA and FAME.
Questions about Profiling the Profession: enquiries@landward.eu