Slight growth in 2022, restrained industry sentiment for 2023 - DGUF Monitoring Report private-sector archaeology 2022

Abstract

Compared to previous years, the anonymous survey on the situation of private archaeology in Germany achieved a high response rate from the approximately 105 excavation companies based in Germany. The number of employees in the companies increased by 6 % in 2022 compared to the previous year, and a further 6 % increase in personnel is planned for 2023. Currently, approx. 3,025 employees work in corporate archaeology; the planned increase in staff means approx. 180 additional positions for 2023. The most sought-after positions will be excavation leaders/managers, excavation technicians and skilled workers. The salary level in private sector archaeology is notoriously unsatisfactory. However, according to the results of our survey, the wage floors recommended by CIfA Germany (CIfA D) have meanwhile become accepted across the board (i.e. also among non-CIfA members) and are being adhered to; as a rule, the salaries actually paid are above the CIfA D wage floors. In addition, a comparison with the EvaBA 2 survey – the large DGUF survey of German archaeologists in 2019 – shows that salary levels have risen significantly since then (with the exception of skilled workers) by around € 400 to € 500 per month. Although there are salary differences between the federal states, they are not large.