Higher Education Employment Increases in Q2 2017 But Not at Community Colleges

STATE COLLEGE, PA – According to HigherEdJobs, the leading job and career site for higher education professionals, the total number of jobs in higher education increased during Q2 2017 by the largest second quarter amount in five years.

According to an analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data by HigherEdJobs, higher education employment increased 0.8 percent, or roughly 29,900 jobs, during the second quarter. This was the largest second quarter increase since Q2 2012 when it increased by essentially the same amount. Public and private institutions experienced similar percentage job growth but public institutions saw a larger increase in the number of jobs because they employ almost twice as many people.  Meanwhile, community colleges lost more than 12,500 jobs, or 1.8 percent, in Q2 2017, the 14th consecutive month of year-over-year quarterly job losses for this type of academic institution.

Even though the number of jobs increased in higher education, job postings for open positions at colleges and universities were down during the second quarter, decreasing 1.9 percent compared to the year before. Although this was the second consecutive quarter that job postings decreased, it was not as severe and considered an improvement from the immediately previous quarter's decline of 4.5 percent. The Q2 2017 decline was driven by decreases in postings for full-time faculty and administrative positions and was geographically broad-based. However, postings for part-time faculty and administrative positions both increased and at a slightly higher rate during Q2 2017 than in Q1 2017.

The report analyzes the most current data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and HigherEdJobs' posting trends from roughly 880 colleges and universities that have continuously subscribed to the company's unlimited posting plan for four years. The full report can be viewed here.

HigherEdJobs® is the leading source for jobs and career information in academia. During 2016, 5,400 colleges and universities posted more than 215,000 faculty, administrative, and executive job postings to the company's website, which receives 1.5 million unique visitors a month. HigherEdJobs is published by Internet Employment Linkage, Inc. and is headquartered in State College, PA.

Featured

  • California High School Opens New Classroom Building for 7th-, 8th-Graders

    Santa Rosa City Schools in Santa Rosa, Calif., recently announced the completion of a new classroom building for Piner High School. As the campus transitions to a Junior/Senior High School, the facility will play home to the school’s new population of seventh- and eighth-grade students.

  • Wyoming District Breaks Ground on New Elementary School

    Laramie County School District #1 in Cheyenne, Wy., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the upcoming Mountain View Elementary School, according to a news release. The facility has an estimated completion date of summer 2028, and it will have the capacity for 650 students in fifth and sixth grade.

  • Haws Corporation Marks 120th Anniversary

    Haws Corporation, which provides hydration and emergency safety solutions worldwide, recently announced that the company is celebrating its 120th anniversary this year, according to a news release.

  • URI Cuts Underwater Ribbon on New Ocean Robotics Laboratory

    The University of Rhode Island recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new Ocean Robotics Laboratory at its Narragansett Bay Campus, according to a news release. Two students used a remotely operated vehicle to cut an underwater ribbon in a 30-by-20-foot test tank.