Bishop Laments Unemployment for Archaeologists

A stimulus program I can agree with, from Religious Intelligence:

The Anglican Bishop of Rochester has called on the British Government to continue to promote the work of British archaeologists abroad during the recession.

Peers in the House of Lords warned ministers that one in five of the 6,500 professional archaeologists in work last year have lost their job in the past six months because of the downturn in the building industry.

Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali asked at question time in the Lords: “Are the Government continuing to promote the valuable work of British archaeologists abroad, especially in the Holy Land and the Middle East generally?”

20% is a pretty steep number, but not implausible given how much the cultural resources management (CRM) industry is dependent on construction (quite the devil's bargain, if you ask me). Anyone know whether CRM work is upticking in anticipation of stimulus money?