The Semitic Museum will begin reviewing candidates next week for at least two new positions, museum director Lawrence E. Stager said yesterday.

"We hope to hire two to two-and a-half more positions,' Stager said. "That should be taken care of, I guess, before summer begins."

Last November, Stager, who is Dorot professor of the archaeology of Israel, laid off museum staff members. The staffers charged that the layoffs were politically motivated, but Stager and Dean of the Faculty Jeremy R. Knowles said the cuts were part of a restructuring recommended by an October 1993 report of the museum's advisory committee.

The new jobs are for positions that did not exist before the lay-offs: assistant curator of collections and assistant director of the museum.

The posts must be filled by candidates with doctorates in archaeology or anthropology, Stager said.

Of the 10 people laid off, three had doctorates in their fields and the other seven did not, according to Stager.

A search committee six, including Stager, Administrative Dean of the Faculty Nancy L. Maull and Professor of Semitic Philology John Huehnergard, has widely advertised the openings in the Harvard Gazette, the Chronicle for Higher Education and archaeological and professional journals, according to Huehnergard.

"The idea, I think, is to start with a clean slate," said Huehnergard, who is also chair of the Department of Near Eastern Language and Civilizations. "These are new positions that were in the report submitted run under the dean of make the museum run under budget . Since they're new positions, we're advertising all over the place."

The 10 staff members laid off can apply for the new jobs if they want to, according to Stager.

"Everybody who was laid off has jobs," Stagersaid. "And according to the personnel manual, ifeverything else is equal, they could have anadvantage."

The University's personnel manual states thatHarvard has an obligation to its laid-offemployees.

"A department or organizational unit laying offa staff member continues to have an obligation tohim/her for two year following the layoff," themanual sstates. "During this time, the departmentor unit must (1) make an offer of employment tohim/her should the same job again becomeavailable, or (2) give strong preference tohim/her in filling any new job having similarduties and responsibilities, provided the laid-offstaff member is qualified to perform the duties ofthe open position