It’s Been 3 Decades Since There Were So Few Jobs for History Ph.D.s

How rough was the 2016-17 job market for historians? Very rough, according to new data released by the American Historical Association. Job openings for people with history Ph.D.s listed on the association’s careers website dropped to the lowest level in more than three decades.

From June 2016 to June 2017, 501 listings for full-time history positions were posted on the site, marking a 12-percent decline from the previous year, a report on the data shows. It’s the lowest number since the 1984-85 hiring season, when the association posted fewer than 500 jobs.