Staffing Cutbacks and Hiring Freezes on Rise in NYS' Museum Community

Pre-Recession Facts

17,000+ the number of people employed in the New York State’s museums and heritage organizations

3.1% projected employment growth by the New York State Bureau of Labor Statistics for museums until 2016

$1 Billion+ the operating expenditures of New York State museums, the majority of these expenses are returned to the state’s economy in the form of wages, purchases, and sales taxes.


The Labor Situation Now

In polling conducted by MANY of its membership in January and March 2009:

· institutional operating deficits are significantly on the rise (from 36% of reporting institutions in January to 53% of reporting institutions in March)
· staff cuts and/or freezes are now in effect at nearly half of reporting institutions
Staff reductions are running between 10-20% at institutions across the state. Furloughs and salary cuts are two measures some museums are using to avoid layoffs.

The vast majority of museums in New York State are small, historical societies and historic sites. Many of these institutions employ part-time professional staff, such as curators, educators and tour guides. These employees may be the first to be laid off because of their part-time status or they may be forced to leave because they cannot afford to stay in a part-time situation. Wrote one museum director, “I am very afraid that we will lose the talented recent Cooperstown graduate who is our part-time education director. She has mentioned that people who work in low skill jobs such as warehouses earn more than she does.”


The Impact

· reductions in museum programming that benefit New York State residents
· a “brain drain” of talent from the field to other fields where employment may be more stable, pays more and offers benefits