Latest Data: 2020
This page examines the nationalities of archaeologists working in UK archaeology.
Highlights
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There were two sources of data for the nationalities of archaeologists – information provided by employers (includes some self-employed archaeologists) and by individuals responding to the survey. The aggregate figures reported by individuals were very close to those reported by employers.
Employers reported that 13% of archaeologists working in the UK in 2019-20 were not UK subjects, a considerably higher proportion than in the overall UK workforce (7%) (Table 2.3.1).
At the point that the UK formally left the European Union, 11% of archaeologists working in the country were from EU states. Over time, the proportion of EU citizens working in UK archaeology has increased.
Table 2.3.1: Nationalities of staff (UK respondents) 2007-20. UK Workforce data from the Office of National Statistics: “EMP06: Employment by country of birth and nationality”.
| 2007-08 | 2012-13 | 2019-20 | 2019-20 Individuals | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | Percentage | Count | Percentage | Count | Percentage | Count | Percentage | |
| Archaeologists – British (UK subjects) | 2,432 | 93% | 803 | 92% | 2,192 | 87% | 905 | 84% |
| Archaeologists – National of EU states | 130 | 5% | 33 | 4% | 282 | 11% | 118 | 11% |
| Archaeologists – Nationals of other countries (non-UK, non-EU) | 49 | 2% | 35 | 4% | 38 | 2% | 60 | 6% |
| UK Workforce – British (UK Subjects) | 88% | 88% | 89% | 89% | ||||
| UK Workforce – National of EU states | 4% | 7% | 7% | 7% | ||||
| UK Workforce – Nationals of other countries (non-UK, non-EU) | 8% | 4% | 4% | 4% | ||||
| Archaeologists – Total | 2,611 | 871 | 2,512 | 1,083 | ||||
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This type of data has been tracked for a few years in the State of the Archaeological Market series. This has shown that nationalities have been stable for several years, if not a slight increase in UK staff.
Table 2.3.2: Nationalities of development-led archaeology staff 2012, 2017-19.
| Dec-12 | Mar-17 | Mar-18 | Mar-19 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| British (UK subjects) | 93% | 83% | 85% | 86% |
| Nationals of other EU states | 3% | 15% | 13% | 12% |
| Nationals of other countries (non-UK, non-EU) | 4% | 2% | 2% | 3% |
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Correlations
The data analysis (see methods section) found a correlation between age and nationalities. Younger archaeologists are more likely to have a non-UK nationality than older ones.
Table 2.3.3: Nationalities of professional archaeologists by age, 2019-20. Note- some cells were removed for data protection.
| Age | UK | EU Country | Non-UK or EU Country | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Count | % | Count | % | |
| Under 31 | 116 | 74% | 28 | 18% | 12 | 8% |
| 31-40 | 238 | 80% | 37 | 13% | 21 | 7% |
| 41-50 | 221 | 84% | 30 | 11% | 12 | 5% |
| 51-60 | 207 | 91% | 11 | 5% | 9 | 4% |
| Over 60 | 91 | 100% | removed or 0 | 0% | removed or 0 | 0% |
| Total | 873 | 106 | 54 | |||
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Image Credit
Archaeologists welcoming the public onto site at 8-10 Moorgate. Photo by Margaret Cox, MOLA. From Watson, S. 2021 Public Benefit: the challenge for development-led archaeology in the UK, Internet Archaeology 57. https://doi.org/10.11141/ia.57.1 CC BY 3.0
Version control and change log
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:
Version: 1.1
Change log:
18th June 2021 – added a table 2.3.4 on age and nationalities and text explaining.
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