archivist
Key facts
Do you have a passion for preserving history and making information accessible? As an archivist, you’ll play a vital role in safeguarding records and ensuring future generations can learn from the past, whether those records are physical documents or digital files.
Archivists are responsible for the long-term care and accessibility of records and archives. This involves assessing the value of materials, developing systems for organizing and describing them, and implementing preservation strategies to protect them from deterioration. You'll work with a wide range of formats, from traditional paper documents and photographs to audio, video, and digital files, ensuring they remain usable and available for research and public access. This role often requires strategic thinking and leadership to manage collections effectively.
- • Appraising, selecting, and acquiring records of historical or administrative value.
- • Organizing and describing archives using established standards and metadata.
- • Implementing preservation techniques to protect records from damage and deterioration.
Where this occupation is in demand
Reported labour shortages and surpluses, by year. Published for occupation groups, not for individual job titles.
Deeper colour: reported the same way in more consecutive years.
Figures cover Legal, social and cultural professionals — 186 jobs including this one.
In shortage: Italy, Romania.
Longest-running shortage: Italy, 2 years.
Where it is regulated, your qualification would need formal recognition before you could practise.
Select a place on the map to see its figures.
About this source›
Source: ELA/EURES labour shortages and surpluses. Readings are published at occupation-group level, and cover Europe. Editions differ in annex layout and country coverage, so a change between years does not always mean the labour market changed. Countries in grey were not reported, which is not the same as being in balance.
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Could archivist fit you?
Answer three quick questions. This is not a full assessment — it is a teaser to help you decide whether to compare your profile.
Do you enjoy tasks that require Attention to Detail?
Do you enjoy tasks that require Integrity?
Do you enjoy tasks that require Cooperation?
Future Outlook for archivist
The outlook for archivist reflects a balanced mix of automation exposure and durable, human-led work.
How are these scores calculated?
The Resilience Score (0–100) estimates how structurally protected this occupation is from automation and AI disruption, based on task-level analysis. Higher scores mean more human-judgment-intensive tasks. AI Exposure shows the estimated percentage of task hours that current AI capabilities could affect. These are model-derived structural indicators, not predictions about individual job security.
How could archivist change as AI adoption grows?
Several task areas may shift toward AI-assisted workflows, so reskilling becomes more important.
Illustrative scenario based on task automatability — not a forecast. Values are rounded the further ahead you look.
How could archivist change as AI adoption grows?
Several task areas may shift toward AI-assisted workflows, so reskilling becomes more important.
Illustrative scenario based on task automatability — not a forecast. Values are rounded the further ahead you look.
How AI may change this role
Deterministic, model-based interpretation of current role signals — not a guarantee of replacement.
What still depends on people
- aid archive users with their enquiries
- respect data protection principles
- manage archive users guidelines
Where AI may become a co-pilot
- study a collection
- store archival documents
Tasks most exposed to automation
- create semantic trees
- appraise historical documents
- perform records management
Vital Signs & AI Vectors
AI Exposure Vectors
0-100%Exposure to AI-assisted analysis, pattern recognition, and predictive modelling tasks
Exposure to content generation, creative augmentation, and large language model tools
Exposure to physical automation, robotics, and sensor-driven task displacement
Exposure to workflow automation, decision-support software, and process digitisation
Technical Details
NexFuture v3.0 estimates automation exposure natively from ESCO essential-skill groups, weighted by skill mass and calibrated against expert anchors. Scores are probabilistic estimates, not guarantees. See the NexFuture Methodology White Paper for full details.
Measures automation exposure. It does not measure pay, demand, or how many jobs exist near you.
What people in this role usually do
Arts, Entertainment, & Design
A typical day as a archivist
09 09:00 · Morning facilitate access to information
10 10:30 · Mid-morning aid archive users with their enquiries
12 12:00 · Midday appraise historical documents
14 14:00 · Afternoon contextualise records collection
15 15:30 · Late afternoon store archival documents
17 17:00 · Wrap-up create semantic trees
Task order is illustrative. Individual days vary.
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collection management
The process of resource evaluation, selection and life-cycle planning to create and promote a coherent collection in line with the developing needs of the users or customers. Understanding legal deposit for long-term access to publications.
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conservation techniques
The procedures, instruments, techniques, materials and chemicals used in conservation and archiving.
- digitization
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perform records management
Manage the life-cycle of records of institutions, indivduals, corporate bodies, collections, oral history.
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facilitate access to information
Prepare documents for archiving; ensure that the information can easily be accessed at all times.
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manage digital archives
Create and maintain computer archives and databases, incorporating latest developments in electronic information storage technology.
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contextualise records collection
Comment, describe, and provide context for the records in a collection.
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write scientific publications
Present the hypothesis, findings, and conclusions of your scientific research in your field of expertise in a professional publication.
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aid archive users with their enquiries
Provide reference services and overall assistance for researchers and visitors in their search for archival materials.
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respect data protection principles
Ensure that access to personal or institutional data conforms to the legal and ethical framework governing such access.
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store archival documents
Store and preserve archival documents. Copy archive records to film, videotape, audiotape, disk, or computer formats as required.
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manage archive users guidelines
Establish policy guidelines on public access to a (digital) archive and the cautious use of present materials. Communicate the guidelines to archive visitors.
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create semantic trees
Create coherent lists and hierarchies of concepts and terms to ensure consistent indexing in knowledge organisation systems.
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study a collection
Research and trace the origins and the historical significance of collections and archive content.
Skill DNA
Work personality traits and values that define this role
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Where does archivist fit?
Similarity scores based on skill overlap from ESCO data.
Frequently asked questions
- What kind of education is typically required to become an archivist?
- While specific requirements vary, a master’s degree in archival studies, library science with an archival concentration, or a related field (such as history) is generally expected. Practical experience through internships or volunteer work is also highly valuable.
- How does the rise of digital records impact the archivist's role?
- The increasing volume of digital records presents both challenges and opportunities. Archivists now need expertise in digital preservation, metadata creation, and managing digital asset management systems. It requires adapting traditional archival principles to the digital environment.
- What are the common work environments for archivists?
- Archivists typically work in employment settings. You might find them in museums, libraries, government agencies, corporations, universities, or historical societies. The work is primarily employee-based, though occasional freelance or contract opportunities may exist.
- Archivist — is there a shortage in Europe?
- No. In the 2025 ELA/EURES edition, a surplus was reported in 7 of the 9 European countries that assessed this occupation group: Austria, Bulgaria, Czechia, Denmark and 3 more. 2 countries reported a shortage. These assessments are published per occupation group rather than per job title.
- Archivist — what does it pay in the United States?
- $61,570 a year at the median, as of 2025-05. State medians run from $40,900 to $93,040. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is a United States figure and not a projection for Europe.
- Archivist — is it a regulated profession?
- It is listed as a regulated profession in 9 European countries: Netherlands, Romania, Croatia, Slovenia and 5 more. The lowest qualification level required among them is EQF 5. Where a profession is regulated, a qualification earned elsewhere has to be formally recognised before you can practise. Source: EU Regulated Professions Database.