Employment in Higher Education Grows at Fastest Pace in Three Years

STATE COLLEGE, PA – The number of jobs in higher education increased 1.25 percent in Q4 2015, or about 24,100 jobs, which was the largest increase in jobs for the sector in three years, regardless of quarter. For the year, higher education jobs were up 0.55 percent in 2015, nearly identical to the 0.58 percent growth in 2014.

Drilling down deeper, HigherEdJobs' analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data found that four-year colleges and universities gained 29,400 jobs, or 1.6 percent, while community colleges lost 5,300 jobs, or 4.0 percent of their workforce. On an annual basis, higher education netted an additional 9,800 jobs, or 0.6 percent in 2015, which was only incrementally less than the growth of 10,200 jobs in 2014.

The report from HigherEdJobs also looks at trends in advertisements for job postings in academia. It found that the number of advertisements for all types of jobs in academia increased 19.9 percent in Q4 2015, the biggest fourth quarter increase in at least four years. In addition, the number of full-time faculty job postings grew 6.1 percent, while job postings for full-time administrative and executive positions increased 25.4 percent.

“After several years of declining job growth followed by a stagnant period, it appears that academia — at least at four-year institutions — is beginning to add both faculty as well as administrative and executive positions,” says John Ikenberry, president of HigherEdJobs.

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 more than 850 schools that have no financial deterrent not to post any openings. The full report can be viewed at www.higheredjobs.com/career/quarterly-report.cfm.

HigherEdJobs® is the leading source for jobs and career information in academia. During 2015, over 5,400 colleges and universities posted more than 186,000 faculty, administrative and executive job postings to the company's website, which receives more than 1.2 million unique visitors a month. HigherEdJobs is published by Internet Employment Linkage, Inc. and is headquartered in State College, PA.

Featured

  • LSU Breaks Ground on $200M Residential Project

    Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, La., recently broke ground on a new residential complex, according to university news. The South Quad residential project will consist of two buildings and add a total of 1,266 beds for freshmen students. The development comes with a price tag of $200 million, and it’s scheduled to open to students in fall 2027.

  • Preparing for the Next Era of Healthcare Education, Innovation

    Across the country, public universities and community colleges are accelerating investments in healthcare education facilities as part of a broader strategy to address workforce shortages, modernize outdated infrastructure, and expand clinical training capacity. These projects, which are often located at the center of campus health and science districts, are no longer limited to traditional classrooms.

  • sapling sprouting from a cracked stone

    Lessons in Resilience: Disaster Recovery in Our Schools

    Facility managers play a pivotal role in how well a school weathers and recovers from a crisis. Whether it's a hurricane, a flood, a tornado, or a man-made event, preparation determines resilience.

  • Colorado State University Global, SCTE Launch Online Certificate Program

    Colorado State University Global (CSU Global), based in Denver, Colo., recently announced a partnership with CableLabs subsidiary the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE) to launch an online certificate training program for broadband professionals, according to a news release.

Digital Edition