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O the humanities!

By BROCK READ [The Chronicle of Higher Education] — There are plenty of reasons why disciplinary societies’ annual job reports can’t give us a bulletproof, thoroughgoing sense of the labor markets in their fields. For one thing, the reports draw from job boards—like the Modern Language Association’s Job Information List or the American Historical Association’s Career Center—that have competitors. (One job, no study logging it.) For another, jobs with an interdisciplinary bent might get cross-posted on multiple boards. (One job, several studies logging it.)

That said, there’s evidence that the reports can be valuable indicators of job-market trends. So when conventional wisdom holds that the humanities market has been in steep decline, and a decade’s worth of disciplinary reports seem to back that up, it’s probably worth paying attention. According to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, that’s exactly what’s happening:

humjobsThe American Academy of Arts & Sciences took a look at 10 years of disciplinary-society job reports in six fields, tracking the number of jobs on offer. By and large, the drop-offs in job listings are hard to miss. (Note: We’re using “2000” here to refer to the 2000-01 academic hiring season.)

Continued at The Chronicle of Higher Education | More Chronicle & Notices.

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