Archaeology jobs - show me the money?

The topic is not quite archaeometry, but in these days of the
it's reasonable to wonder about the economic prospects of being an archaeologist.

An article just published online in Science Careers, focusing on the United Kingdom, says, in part:
Salaries are not the only worry commercial archaeologists face. Unemployment is another. The sector takes about 93% of its revenue from development contracts ... so commercial archaeology is highly dependent on trends in the construction industry. During a construction boom, work is plentiful and archaeologists find many opportunities.

Today, the construction industry is doing poorly, so opportunities for archaeologists have dwindled ... now is a good time to retool by investing in professional development. New skills and specialties will increase earning power and "make graduates more employable. Commercial archaeology will change and survive the current economic crisis because local and national laws requiring archaeological evaluation and monitoring of all building sites mean that there will be always a demand for the services the industry provides.

Why enter a field with such uncertain career prospects? If you like being out in the open air and if you have ability and interest for science-based work, then archaeology can be a great thing to do because it does put you in contact with new things all the time.
Read the full account here.

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