← Back to search
OSCA 232331Updated 2026-01-29
Archaeologist
National shortage level: Low
ANZSCO 272414OSCA 232331
Snapshot
Median pay: AUD 84k
Weekly earnings: AUD 1610
Salary range: AUD 75k-AUD 92k
Job ads trend: Not listed
Time to hire: Varies
Visa pathways: Check eligibility
State distribution
35.1%
VIC
34.3%
NSW
11%
WA
Education mix
49.5%
bachelor degree
44.1%
Post graduate
3.5%
year 12
Role overview
Archaeologists study human activity in the past, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data left behind, which includes artefacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes (the archaeological record).
What you do
- • Uses aerial photography to locate sites that are suitable for excavation and/or digging (for artifacts).
- • Plans and organises surveys and excavations within a particular archaeological site.
- • Conducts field work (digging for artifacts) using tools such as pickaxes, brushes and bulldozers.
Core skills
Credentials & pathway
- Recommended level: bachelor degree (49.5%)
Recent job ads
No ads listed yet.
Tasks
- • Carries out examination, documentation and preservation of artifacts.
- • Conducts field work (digging for artifacts) using tools such as pickaxes, brushes and bulldozers.
- • Creates virtual simulations of how artifacts or archaeological sites would have looked in the past.
Earnings
Weekly median: AUD 1610
Annual median: AUD 84k
Range: AUD 75k-AUD 92k