It is true: an archaeologist surrounds himself with fragments and shards. Dozens, perhaps hundreds, are in this depot on a business park in Roermond. Archaeologist Nico van der Feest picks up a plastic bag with a gray piece of stone in it: “Portland cement. It was not introduced until around 1900. Then you know: what you get further out of the ground is not old.”
Older is the massive chunk of rock he just showed. The stone contains large, smooth pebbles: remnants of a Roman road near Cuijk. Or the Venetian glass, in which different colors are twisted together, found during an excavation in the center of Roermond. And there the human skulls, found near an old leper home in Gouda. A Lidl parking garage now stands on the spot where they were buried a few centuries ago.
It goes on like this for three quarters of an hour: from one find to the next. Van der Feest, large tattoos on both arms and suspenders on his shorts, has a story to tell about everything that lies here.
It is therefore not difficult to imagine that he has already been approached by several companies to start working for them. They offered him more money than he earns now. “Then I might get 300 euros per month. But then I also have to put myself in a straitjacket.” He prefers to stay in his current position: here he feels the freedom to fill in his work as he sees fit.
Little pool of archaeologists
His employer Gé Reuver hears it with visible relief. If Van der Feest did leave, that would immediately cause him a problem. Reuver is co-owner of engineering firm Aeres Milieu, which already has a shortage of archaeologists in its current occupation. For more than nine months is there a vacancy for an additional woman or man. Reuver, himself a soil researcher: “But it is almost impossible to reach.”
During and after the previous economic crisis, when archaeologists found it very difficult to find work, many gave up, says Reuver. Now that demand has picked up again, employers are all pulling at the same small pool of people. “At the time, fifteen people responded to a vacancy and you invited three for an interview. Now there are just no responses.”
Aeres is engaged by project developers at the very beginning of construction projects. Before they are allowed to start building, they must have research carried out into, among other things, water quality, noise, flora and fauna, nitrogen, soil and historical value. Aeres offers almost all of this: in addition to archaeologists, it also employs soil researchers and geohydrologists (water researchers).
At the time, fifteen people responded to a vacancy and you invited three for an interview
Gé Reuver Owner Aeres Milieu
Reuver would also like to hire a few more of these. There is enough work. All eighteen employees of the agency are busy, busier than Reuver would like. “Now people are often stressed because reports have to be submitted.”
Reuver is now agreeing longer terms with customers. A few years ago, the company could complete a project within five or six weeks, but now the “turnaround time” is rather between eight and twelve weeks. With two or three people there, Reuver says, everyone in the office would experience less pressure and the work would be finished faster. Above all, no one should suddenly become ill. “We are running at full speed with minimal occupancy.”
Pinball and PlayStation
Archaeologist Van der Feest fears that the increasing time pressure will eventually lead to poor research. He has seen it happen sometimes in competing companies, which also struggle with shortages: limited use of sources, little historical context. While that is precisely the value of their work. “It’s a shame if you take the time to dig something up, but not to tell the story. That ultimately affects the understanding of a location.”
To keep everyone as relaxed and happy as possible, Reuver regularly organizes work outings. The last time they toured the Roermond area with their colleagues on an e-scooter, they ended up in an adventure park. In the meantime, a new ‘relaxation area’ is being built at the office. The pinball machine and PlayStation are already there, they stand until the space is finished between a few desks.
In the vacancy that Aeres has open, this entertainment is described as ‘top entertainment during the break and Friday afternoon drinks’, a ‘pleasant and relaxed working atmosphere’ and ‘delicious coffee at the office’. Although Reuver is modest about the appeal of all this to potential new employees. “We are a small company located in a remote corner of the country. It’s not a logical place to move to.”
A junior archaeologist today starts on the salary he paid to a senior archaeologist a few years ago
The salary that the company pays is probably more attractive: this has increased significantly in recent years. It had to be, says Reuver: not only to recruit people, but also to retain them. A junior archaeologist today starts on the salary he paid to a senior archaeologist a few years ago. Those seniors now earn between 4,000 and 4,500 euros per month at his company, an increase of “hundreds of euros”. He cannot and does not want to go up much further, says Reuver, because the economic climate will irrevocably change again.
Until then, it will be staff-related. Maybe he can hire a recruiter again – the last time that resulted in a new employee. Or, even with some trepidation, approach people yourself on LinkedIn. “But I’d rather not fish someone away from someone else. That feels uncollegial.”