Données nouvelles sur la précarité systémique en archéologie

Abstract

A questionnaire circulated by the groups of archaeologists in struggle in the spring of 2020 collected 1670 online responses. This survey provides new data on employment and working conditions in archaeology and shows the extent of systemic lack of job security in all parts of the sector. More than six hundred people stated that they had already worked in archaeology but did not yet have a stable job in 2020, which is a milestone in the minimum enumeration of mobile professionals who are difficult to count. We develop three results. Firstly, periods of precarious employment at the beginning of a career are long and systematic. However, they cover very different situations. Secondly, we distinguish three types of precarious workers on the basis of their employment situations in 2018 and 2019: archaeologists who have access to long-term contracts, those who are forced to work on a series of short contracts for different employers, and those who, although they are integrated into the field, have difficulty finding work. Finally, the reform of unemployment insurance will inevitably aggravate a dual and fragile employment structure.