Higher Education Employment Grows in Q4 2018

STATE COLLEGE, PA – According to a new report from HigherEdJobs, the leading job and career site for higher education professionals, the total number of jobs in higher education increased during Q4 2018 at both private and public institutions.

According to an analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data by HigherEdJobs, higher education employment increased by 0.5 percent, or roughly 21,900 jobs, during the fourth quarter of 2018. On an annual basis, higher education jobs increased by 0.4 percent in 2018, after increasing by 0.6 percent in 2017. However, employment at community colleges was down for the fifth consecutive year.

Roughly 63 percent of all higher education jobs were at public institutions compared to 37 percent at private organizations, ratios which remained unchanged in 2017 and 2018. However, public institutions only generated 13.1 percent, or about 1,980, of Q4 2018 job growth while private institutions were responsible for 86.9 percent, or about 13,100 more jobs.

The number of job postings for higher education positions increased by 8.1 percent in Q4 2018 and 10.4 percent annually in 2018, compared to a 6.7 percent increase in Q4 2017 and 3.0 percent annually in 2017. And although private institutions generated almost 90 percent of the employment growth in Q4 2018, they generated less than one-third of the job postings in Q4 2018. This is likely because total employment at private institutions is also about one-third of all higher education employment.

On a more granular level, job postings for full-time faculty positions were up while postings for part-time faculty positions were down in both Q4 2018 as well as annually in 2018. This could be a result of a more stable and predictable enrollment environment helping administrators and executives better plan for future curriculum staffing needs.

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.

About HigherEdJobs
HigherEdJobs® is the leading source for jobs and career information in academia. During 2018, 5,300 colleges and universities posted more than 256,500 faculty, administrative, and executive job postings to the company's website, which receives 1.5 million unique visitors a month.

Featured

  • R.I. District Holds Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony for New Elementary School

    Cranston Public Schools in Cranston, R.I., recently announced the completion of Gladstone Elementary School, according to a news release. The 100,000-square-foot facility serves as a replacement for the 1950s-era former building, and it consolidates the student, faculty, and staff populations of Gladstone and Arlington Elementary Schools.

  • Missouri K–12 District Cuts Ribbons on Two New Middle Schools

    Springfield Public Schools in Springfield, Mo., recently celebrated the completion of two new middle school facilities with ribbon-cutting ceremonies, according to a district news release. The district officially opened the new Pipkin Middle School and Reed Academy on Sept. 3, both of which were funded through the $220-million Proposition S bond program approved by voters in 2023.

  • 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.

  • Embry-Riddle Completes Construction on Research, Lab Facility

    Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) in Daytona Beach, Fla., recently announced the end of construction on a new research and lab facility on campus. The Center for Aerospace Engineering II (CAT II) will support aerospace research and technology development and broke ground last summer.