Archaeological Market Survey 2015-16 published

The latest Archaeological Market Survey report, produced by Landward Research on behalf of Historic England, FAME and CIfA is now available. Providing a unique analysis of the archaeological sector as part of the overall UK economy, the report is based on survey responses from FAME members and CIfA Registered Organisations.

Key Findings

• The market for archaeological services continued to expand in 2015-16
• The numbers employed in the commercial sector rose and have returned to levels previously experienced in 2009
• Turnover and profitability have increased across the sector and salaries have generally increased by more than the rate of inflation
• The vast majority of income comes from private sector clients, with residential development being the most important market sector
• Business confidence is high (but has been affected by the uncertainty following the EU referendum)
• Employers are continuing to invest in skills training for their staff but fieldwork skills are still the most commonly reported as being lost

Numbers of archaeological staff providing expert advice to local planning authorities are still falling and this remains a serious concern for the sectorYou can download the full report at www.archaeologists.net/profession/profiling.

Peter Hinton, CIfA Chief Executive said ‘the Archaeological Market Survey Report provides invaluable information which will help CIfA and its sector partners develop a coordinated response to upcoming capacity challenges’

Tim Malim, Chair of FAME said ‘The data from this survey is essential for developing a sustainable commercial archaeology sector that will ensure the nation’s heritage is appropriately investigated, enabling economic development to proceed whilst increasing knowledge and awareness of our past’

Stuart Palmer of Archaeology Warwickshire said ‘For us this is a critical piece of research. Not only does it provide an important overview of our sector, but the detail, in terms of financial performance, employment trends and training needs helps us to benchmark our performance and plan for the next 12 months’ 

Further LINKS

• CIfA website www.archaeologists.net
• FAME website www.famearchaeology.co.uk
• Landward Research www.landward.eu