Employment in Higher Education Declines in Q1 2015; Ads for Part-Time Positions Outpace Full-Time Job Postings

STATE COLLEGE, PA – The number of jobs in higher education declined 0.5 percent in Q1 2015, according to a recent report from HigherEdJobs, a leading job and career site for higher education professionals.

According to an analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data by HigherEdJobs, the 0.5 percent drop in higher education employment represents a loss of 8,600 college and university jobs. Community colleges were particularly hard hit, losing 3.8 percent of their workforce, or about 2,700 jobs. Four-year institutions lost only 0.3 percent of their faculty and staff, or about 5,900 jobs.

Interestingly, while the number of jobs in higher education is down, the report found that ads for open positions in academia were up during Q1 2015, and at a faster pace from a year ago.

The divergence of trends between job postings and higher education jobs could indicate that institutions are experiencing increased employee turnover, perhaps due to retirement, moving to other institutions, or for positions outside of academia. “When institutions have a lot of job openings, it doesn't necessarily mean those are ‘ew jobs,’”says John Ikenberry, president of HigherEdJobs. “A high percentage of these openings are for existing positions that have come open. When institutions don't fill their vacancies fast enough to keep up with the number of employees who exit, employment will decline.”

There was good news for individuals looking for full-time faculty positions, as ads for those positions increased 2.7 percent from a year ago. However, that growth was dwarfed by the increase in ads for part-time, adjunct faculty, which surged 37.4 percent.

The report analyzes the most current data from BLS and HigherEdJobs' posting trends from colleges and universities that have continuously subscribed to the company's unlimited posting plan for four years, a group of roughly 890 schools that have no financial deterrent not to post any openings. View the full report.

HigherEdJobs® is the leading source for jobs and career information in academia. During 2014, over 5,300 colleges and universities posted more than 159,000 faculty, administrative, and executive job postings to the company's website, which receives more than 1,000,000 unique visitors a month. HigherEdJobs is published by Internet Employment Linkage, Inc. and is headquartered in State College, PA.

Featured

  • Texas District Finishes Construction on New Middle School, Admin Building

    The Westwood Independent School District recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Westwood Middle School and Administration Building in Palestine, Texas, according to a news release. The campus covers 106,000 square feet and has the capacity for 650 students in grades 6–8, and it will also play home to the district’s staff and administration.

  • New eBook Shares Guidelines on Building CTE Centers

    Career and Technical Education (CTE) curriculum and resources provider iCEV recently announced the publication of a new eBook sharing guidance and insights on building new CTE facilities, according to a news release.

  • California District Starts Construction on New Robotics Facility

    The Fremont Union High School District (FUHSD) near Silicon Valley, Calif., recently announced that construction has begun on a new Robotics Facility on the campus of Cupertino High School, according to a news release. The 14,500-square-foot facility will serve students at high schools across the entire district, providing purpose-built spaces for student creativity and collaboration.

  • Pittsburgh High School Upgrades Athletics Facilities’ Technology

    Plum Senior High School in Pittsburgh, Penn., recently partnered with South-Dakota-based Daktronics through the We’re All Mustangs Here Foundation to upgrade the technology in its athletics facilities, according to a news release. Daktronics designed, built, and installed new LED video displays and finished the project in time for the beginning of the 2025 high-school football season.

Digital Edition