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Historian

Also called historians, egyptologist, art historian

Historians research, analyze, interpret, and present the past of human societies. They analyse documents, sources, and traces from the past in order to understand the past societies.

Will there be jobs?Average prospects33 jobs to fill by 2035 for every 100 people doing this work today.Legal, social and cultural professionalsWhat does it pay?Above averageFrom about €1,800 (Bulgaria) to €8,800 (Luxembourg) a month, depending on the country.Estimate · Legal, social and cultural professionalsWhat do I need to study?Usually a degree9 in 10 have a degree.Legal, social and cultural professionalsWill AI change it?ModeratelyLevel 4 of 6. AI could take on part of most tasks, but none fully.Philosophers, historians and political scientists · ILO

What you'd do

Philosophers, historians and political scientists · ILO
  • Researching, mostly by reasoning, into the general causes, principles and meanings of the world, human actions, experience and existence, and interpreting and developing philosophical concepts and theories
  • Consulting and comparing primary sources, such as original or contemporary records of past events, and secondary sources such as archaeological or anthropological findings
  • Extracting relevant material, checking its authenticity, and researching into and describing the history of a particular period, country or region, or a particular facet - for example economic, social or political - of its history
  • Conducting research in such fields as political philosophy, or past and present theory and practice of political systems, institutions or behaviour
  • Observing contemporary political institutions and opinions, collecting data on them from various sources, including interviews with government and political party officials and other relevant persons
  • Developing theories, models and methods to interpret and describe the nature of human experience and historical and political events and behaviour
  • Presenting findings and conclusions for publication or use by government, political parties or other organizations and interested persons
  • Preparing scholarly papers and reports
Apply scientific methodsMentor individualsPublish academic researchCommunicate with a non-scientific audienceIntegrate gender dimension in research+ 28 more essential skills
What the work is like
  • Indoors
  • A mix of sitting and standing
  • Lots of contact with people, including the public
  • Good freedom to decide
  • Usually under 40 hours a week
  • Deadlines now and then
  • Some repetitive tasks
US data: based on the O*NET profile of the US job "Historians"

Will there be jobs?

Average prospects

A typical number of jobs will need filling by 2035.

People working as legal, social and cultural professionals in the EU
5.41m6.54m7.02m 201520232035

Solid: measured. Dashed: forecast.

Jobs to fill, 2026–2035
354,000 new jobs 1,872,000 replacing leavers
Jobs to fill per 100 people working now
Legal, social and cultural professionals33
All jobs29
Right now
0 of 27 countries report a shortage of philosophers, historians and political scientists, 10 a surplus.
Philosophers, historians and political scientists · EURES

What does it pay?

Above average

Pay depends a lot on the country: from about €1,800 a month (Bulgaria) to €8,800 (Luxembourg), before tax.

Pick a country at the top of the page to see typical pay there, for people under 30, and compared with all jobs.

Among professionals in the EU, women earn 21% less per hour than men. Professionals · Eurostat

What do I need to study?

Usually a degree

A degree in history and archaeology is the usual route.

Highest qualification of legal, social and cultural professionals (EU, 2025)
Degree 87%Vocational 6%General secondary 5%Basic schooling 2%
Field that teaches it
History and archaeology
Vocational route, EU
Fewer than 1 in 10 trainees in this field
Arts and humanities graduates in a matching job
52% in the EU

1,154 institutions in the EU offer arts and humanities bachelor's degrees. Pick a country at the top of the page to see where to study and the official course finders.

Will AI change it?

Moderately

AI could take on part of most tasks, but none fully.

How exposed is this job? ILO scale
Very low
Low
Some tasks
Moderate
Significant
High

Average task score 0.47 on a scale from 0 (AI can't do it) to 1 (AI could do it fully).

See the score for each of the 8 tasks
Extracting relevant material, checking its authenticity, and researching into and describing the history of a particular period, country or region, or a particular facet - for example economic, social or political - of its history0.54
Presenting findings and conclusions for publication or use by government, political parties or other organizations and interested persons0.54
Preparing scholarly papers and reports0.53
Consulting and comparing primary sources, such as original or contemporary records of past events, and secondary sources such as archaeological or anthropological findings0.51
Conducting research in such fields as political philosophy, or past and present theory and practice of political systems, institutions or behaviour0.47
Observing contemporary political institutions and opinions, collecting data on them from various sources, including interviews with government and political party officials and other relevant persons0.42
Developing theories, models and methods to interpret and describe the nature of human experience and historical and political events and behaviour0.41
Researching, mostly by reasoning, into the general causes, principles and meanings of the world, human actions, experience and existence, and interpreting and developing philosophical concepts and theories0.36

Based on what AI could technically do when assessed in 2025. It is not a forecast for a future year, and not a forecast of job losses. Scores for philosophers, historians and political scientists. Source: ILO (2025), adapted (credits).