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Hourly pay for some museum roles down 25% since 2011
Union report highlights growing pay crisis in heritage sector
Heritage professionals have suffered “particularly sharp falls” in their earnings since 2011 and are being disproportionately hit by the cost-of-living crisis, according to the union Prospect.
A report released by the union last week found that, accounting for inflation, the average hourly pay for archivists and curators has fallen 18% from £19.75 (in today’s money) in 2011 to £16.23 in 2021.
World Class Heritage: Second Class Pay report found that the average hourly pay for conservation professionals saw an even bigger drop of 25%, from £19.35 (in today’s money) in 2011 to £14.43 in 2021.
Average hourly pay for museum workers fell 9% from £14.86 (in today’s money) in 2011 to £13.49 in 2021.
The union conducted research into the salaries of recently advertised roles in the heritage sector, finding that all were below the UK national median full-time salary for 2021 of £31,285.
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Some were below the independently calculated National Living Wage and London Living Wage, which currently stand at £9.90 and £11.05 per hour respectively.
The report found that one in 10 museum jobs – around 2,700 in total – paid £9.50 an hour or less, suggesting that most of these would count as officially low paid, while one in five jobs at historical sites and buildings – around 2,400 in total – paid £9.60 or less.
The only roles that didn't see a drop in earnings were those employed in the operation of heritage sites and buildings. The report said: “As these are the lowest paid, it seems likely that this is because of the impact of rises in the statutory National Living Wage, which has pushed up earnings in the very lowest-paid occupations relative to others over the past decade.”
The report cited government austerity measures and the more recent impact of the Covid-19 pandemic as some of the reasons for falling salaries.
The union said the current cost-of-living crisis is likely to have a severe impact on the living standards of heritage workers.
It said that, under current inflation rates, a senior archaeologist earning the minimum recommended salary of £31,600 faces a fall in the real value of their salary to around £28,500, a loss of approximately £3,000.
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A conservator earning a typical salary of £28,630 faces a fall of around £2,750 in the real value of their salary, while a learning volunteer earning the currently advertised salary of £25,000 faces a loss of around £2,500 to the real value of their salary.
The report said: “Even these figures understate the impact on some people, with poorer households facing effective inflations rates of up to 2% more than the headline measure because they spend a larger part of their income on items like food and fuel.”
Heritage workers staged a photocall outside the Houses of Parliament in London last week to highlight the report’s findings.
Prospect says it is calling for:
- Greater value and recognition given to heritage and heritage workers, with improved funding to address historic low pay levels and the current cost-of-living crisis
- Greater employer flexibility on pay, terms and conditions, to enable wages to better reflect skills, qualifications, knowledge and experience
- Meaningful pay progression mechanisms to ensure heritage staff can progress their careers and earnings.
Prospect’s senior deputy general secretary Sue Ferns said: “Heritage workers are the guardians of our history and culture – inadequate pay not only impacts the living standards of workers, but places British cultural heritage, education and historical research at serious risk.
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“Heritage is also an important part of our economy, not only through tourism but also through for example the work of architects, facilitating major construction projects.
“Virtually every constituency in the country has some kind of museum or National Trust property that adds to and informs the character of the local area. We ask that MPs support Prospect and local heritage workers in their campaign for fair pay.”
The Museums Association is updating its salary guidelines later this year.
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sorry to be picky on this but if institutions can’t recruit why are the employment figures in the Museum Sector so low for people with disabilities? Museum Association’s own figures make appalling reading. From personal experience its almost impossible to even get an interview if you are disabled let alone a job. I’m not saying that wages shouldn’t be raised but if they can’t be and museums are genuinely facing a staffing crisis may I suggest this is an opportunity to diversify the work force by actually accepting applications from people with disabilities. We are applying despite the low wages but not getting employed, which means there is a pool of interested people with experience, albeit perhaps voluntary, who are being overlooked.
Sorry but as someone who, after the better part of 20 years in museums, decided after the chaos of the last two years to give up and go and work in a different sector, I found myself reading this article and the associated report with a wry smile. None of the pay issues are new but they have being accepted or ignored by the sectors powers-that-be for way too long. The only way to have a career in museums seems either to accept a second-rate student lifestyle or have a partner in a well-paying job who can support you in your little hobby job.
However lets stop pretending it is just about pay, it’s not. The pay is poor but there is more to it than that.
1) Poor employment conditions-pensions are poor, annual leave is generally low, training opportunities not great, workloads excessive with recognition often non-existent but blame all too common, hours still tend to be longer than average plus there is an unwritten expectation that for the love of the job you will do unpaid overtime and not expect to get it back as time off in lieu
2) Poor working conditions-way too many people find their actual working conditions are terrible. Offices and other working spaces in poor conditions, staff rooms horrible and small, heating in winter is poor, poor IT and support services.
3) Bullying all too common. We talk a lot about sexism and racism in regards museums but we ignore they are part of a bigger problem, the level of bullying in the sector. The MA did release a report I think about a year back that I suspect most blinked and missed, and I can’t recall really being talked about. The level of bullying in the sector is way too high, managers who abuse and belittle staff, run them down, try and make out their staff have no knowledge or skills, or say they could never get another job, etc. In many museums peer bullying is also an issue. Add in the attitude of many managers when staff dare to complain, “there are a hundred people out there who’d love to work in your museum job”.
3) Lack of resources. Museums are chronically underfunded. Hardly going to make working in them a good experience.
4) the constant demands from the powers that be for museums to meet another agenda, when most are struggling to open the doors. Yes, museums have a role to pay in the climate change debate, etc but honestly when you are struggling to do the basics (which many museums are), the constant pressure to do this and that new, and an insinuation that if you aren’t you are failing, doesn’t help
5) Poor career prospects. Contracts are often short, promotion changes poor, and above a certain level it seems experience of working in museums actually makes you unsuitable and so people from other sectors are bought in. How can you have a career in a sector where a career is all but impossible?
Sometimes I am amazed anyone, faced with all the above, would actually want to work in a museum, there are a lot easier ways to earn more, for less hours, less stress and (dare I say it) making a greater impact.
Honestly, the problem isn’t just about pay, it’s the whole employment package and until it is address as a whole and not just one aspect, things aren’t going to change