Latest Data: 2020
This section reviews the market sentiments of respondents working in development-led archaeology – contracting and consulting.
Highlights
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Question logic was used in the survey so that only organisational respondents that identified as undertaking contractor or consultancy work answered these questions. In March 2020, immediately before the impact of Covid-19 began to be felt, but immediately after the UK’s departure from the European Union, 49% of employers responding to this question expected the market for archaeological services would deteriorate in the next year. These organisations employed 67% of the respondents’ archaeological workforce.
Table 1.7.1: Market condition expectations on 1st March 2020, by number of employees.
| Organisations | Number of Employees | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | Percentage | Count | Percentage | |
| Yes – market conditions would deteriorate | 28 | 49% | 1454 | 67% |
| No – market conditions would not deteriorate | 19 | 33% | 489 | 23% |
| Don’t know | 10 | 18% | 220 | 10% |
| Total (n=) | 57 | 0% | 2163 | 0% |
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This question has been asked in the various versions of the State of the Archaeological Market surveys which gives a longitudinal examination of confidence in development-led archaeology.
Table 1.7.2 : Market confidence levels from January 2009 to March 2020. Total confidence is those that think the market won’t deteriorate minus those that do.
| Jan-09 | Apr-09 | Jul-09 | Oct-09 | Jan-10 | Apr-10 | Jul-10 | Oct-10 | Jan-11 | Apr-11 | Oct-11 | Apr-12 | Dec-12 | Mar-14 | Mar-15 | Mar-16 | Mar-17 | Mar-18 | Mar-19 | Mar-20 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes – market conditions would deteriorate | 87% | 54% | 42% | 31% | 19% | 29% | 51% | 41% | 46% | 32% | 37% | 32% | 30% | 13% | 8% | 21% | 26% | 37% | 68% | 49% |
| No – market conditions would not deteriorate | 3% | 26% | 42% | 33% | 47% | 29% | 18% | 22% | 20% | 26% | 24% | 29% | 48% | 78% | 84% | 64% | 56% | 44% | 21% | 33% |
| Don’t know | 10% | 19% | 17% | 26% | 34% | 43% | 31% | 28% | 35% | 42% | 39% | 39% | 23% | 9% | 8% | 14% | 19% | 19% | 12% | 18% |
| Total confidence | -84% | -28% | 0% | 2% | 28% | 0% | -33% | -19% | -26% | -6% | -13% | -3% | 18% | 65% | 76% | 43% | 30% | 7% | -47% | -16% |
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Image Credit
Recording the hull thickness – Drumbeg by Wessex Archaeology on Flickr. CC BY NC 2.0
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As a digital document we may update parts of this page in the future to account for corrections or the need for clarification. Please use the version when citing:
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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