29th April 2009, 12:00 PM
To reply to Peter's question
What the job survey shows in that smaller companies are now affected by the down turn and there is a skill shortage in people who do DBAs and building recording - the very start of the archaeological/building process and that the people who do post excavation specialist work are less affected.
How serious a problem is this?
The most depressing aspect of the latest IfA report is that we don't seem to have reached the bottom line yet regarding redundancies. I don't have a direct involvement at the moment, so can only imagine that any 'spare fat' in organisations has already been trimmed by the first and second round of redundancies late last year and early this year. The prediction by the majority of organisations that further redundancies are likely, would seem to suggest that the next round will hit the more specialist roles.
I personally feel that vacancies in posts concerned with DBAs (as a multi-skilled activity) could be taken up by staff redeployed from elsewhere in the organisation. This must be especially the case with smaller companies where surely everyone wears at least 2 if not more hats at anyone time. I mean if its a case of the industry suddenly being innundated with a flood of DBAs, I am sure that there are many amongst the estimated 650 redundant archaeologists who already posess the requisite skills and just need to be given a job...
Building recording is a more specialised role and undoubtedly there is a loss to the industry if those skills cannot be retained. But then again much the same thing seems to have been said about potential job losses amongst Roman and Medieval ceramic specialists over the past 10-15 years or so and somehow we seem to have been able to stumble onwards.....
With peace and consolation hath dismist, And calm of mind all passion spent...
What the job survey shows in that smaller companies are now affected by the down turn and there is a skill shortage in people who do DBAs and building recording - the very start of the archaeological/building process and that the people who do post excavation specialist work are less affected.
How serious a problem is this?
The most depressing aspect of the latest IfA report is that we don't seem to have reached the bottom line yet regarding redundancies. I don't have a direct involvement at the moment, so can only imagine that any 'spare fat' in organisations has already been trimmed by the first and second round of redundancies late last year and early this year. The prediction by the majority of organisations that further redundancies are likely, would seem to suggest that the next round will hit the more specialist roles.
I personally feel that vacancies in posts concerned with DBAs (as a multi-skilled activity) could be taken up by staff redeployed from elsewhere in the organisation. This must be especially the case with smaller companies where surely everyone wears at least 2 if not more hats at anyone time. I mean if its a case of the industry suddenly being innundated with a flood of DBAs, I am sure that there are many amongst the estimated 650 redundant archaeologists who already posess the requisite skills and just need to be given a job...
Building recording is a more specialised role and undoubtedly there is a loss to the industry if those skills cannot be retained. But then again much the same thing seems to have been said about potential job losses amongst Roman and Medieval ceramic specialists over the past 10-15 years or so and somehow we seem to have been able to stumble onwards.....
With peace and consolation hath dismist, And calm of mind all passion spent...