27th November 2008, 10:48 AM
In answer to some of the issues raised above, I'd like to make the following points.
1) The government is concerned about the downturn in the economy, and talk has gravitated towards fast-tracking major developments. However, these have a long gestation period, and so are unlikely to help archaeologists in the short term.
2) The government is unlikely to spend more money directly supporting archaeological excavation and research.
3) Skill-sharing of specialists. If work dries up, then units will not be able to support the same number of specialists. This may lead either to reduced hours or job losses. If I were a specialist right now working for a unit with not much work on the books, I'd be considering additional freelance, self-employed work and approaching units that may require this service on a project-by-project basis.
4) I fully agree that progress should continue on reforming the profession. Archaeological units across the UK may be considering cutting staff, lowering charge-out rates and cutting out the "non-essentials". The more consensus there is in the archaeological community about what the minimum standards are (and associated issues of what qualifies somebody to be an archaeologist and indirectly how much archaeological projects will cost) then the more likely it is that good standards will be adhered to in the face of pressures to cut corners to stay competitive.
1) The government is concerned about the downturn in the economy, and talk has gravitated towards fast-tracking major developments. However, these have a long gestation period, and so are unlikely to help archaeologists in the short term.
2) The government is unlikely to spend more money directly supporting archaeological excavation and research.
3) Skill-sharing of specialists. If work dries up, then units will not be able to support the same number of specialists. This may lead either to reduced hours or job losses. If I were a specialist right now working for a unit with not much work on the books, I'd be considering additional freelance, self-employed work and approaching units that may require this service on a project-by-project basis.
4) I fully agree that progress should continue on reforming the profession. Archaeological units across the UK may be considering cutting staff, lowering charge-out rates and cutting out the "non-essentials". The more consensus there is in the archaeological community about what the minimum standards are (and associated issues of what qualifies somebody to be an archaeologist and indirectly how much archaeological projects will cost) then the more likely it is that good standards will be adhered to in the face of pressures to cut corners to stay competitive.