Higher Education Employment Report

Transcription

1 Higher Education Employment Report Second Quarter, 2013 / Published August 2013 Executive Summary The number of jobs in higher education decreased during the second quarter of 2013 compared to the same period the year before. After several quarters in a row of steady but modest increases, the number of jobs in higher education has now decreased, albeit marginally, for two consecutive quarters. This period also marks the third quarter in a row that the overall U.S. job growth rate surpassed the growth rate for higher education jobs. As a result, the "market share" of higher education jobs compared to all U.S. jobs declined in 2013 compared to the same quarter a year earlier. Despite declining numbers of jobs in higher education, the number of advertisements for job openings in academia continued to increase, but at a moderating pace. According to data from HigherEdJobs, a pattern of uniform and stable employment in higher education has appeared recently with only minor changes occurring in different categories of job postings including part-time compared to full-time, faculty compared to administrators, as well as regional job posting trends. As of the second quarter of 2013, analyses of U.S. Department of Labor / Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data on higher education employment as well as job posting trends with HigherEdJobs found: After several years of consistently increasing, the number of jobs in higher education declined in 2013, albeit slightly, for the second consecutive quarter. Even though the ratio of part-time to full-time positions in higher education rose slightly in 2013, it has been relatively stable in recent second quarters. The number of advertisements for job openings in higher education increased in 2013, but their rate of growth continued to slow. Colleges and universities may be approaching a balance between administrative / executive positions and faculty positions as the ratio of faculty to non-faculty job postings changed only marginally in The number of community college jobs was down during 2013 and the number of advertised job openings at community colleges, while up, experienced a slowing growth rate. Institutions continued to post a growing share of their second quarter faculty openings for part-time positions in In contrast, the share of administrative and executive job postings for parttime versus full-time employment was somewhat lower. The West region led the country in higher education job posting growth for the second consecutive quarter in 2013, due in large part to strength in the Pacific area. John Ikenberry, Ph.D., President and Co-Founder HigherEdJobs 328 Innovation Boulevard, Suite 300 State College, PA media@higheredjobs.com (ext. 202) 2013 HIGHER EDUCATION EMPLOYMENT REPORT 1

2 About HigherEdJobs About this Quarterly Report HigherEdJobs is the leading source for jobs and career information in academia. The company s web site, receives over 1,000,000 unique visitors a month. During 2012, more than 5,350 colleges and universities posted over 117,000 faculty, administrative, and executive job postings to HigherEdJobs. Founded in 1996, HigherEdJobs mission is to help higher education candidates and employers connect with one another to find their dream job, or employee, as quickly as possible with the least amount of effort. HigherEdJobs is published by Internet Employment Linkage, Inc. (IEL). IEL is headquartered in State College, Pa., and has an accounting and operations office in Oak Park, Ill. The HigherEdJobs Higher Education Employment Report, published quarterly, provides summary information about employment within the higher education community. The goal of the report is to help academic leaders and policymakers better appreciate the trends we are experiencing with employment in real time. Those seeking jobs should also appreciate these same data. As background to some of the statistics we are reporting here, we define Higher Education Employment to include all types of employment at four-year colleges and universities as well as two-year community colleges. Findings on jobs in higher education and the U.S. economy are based on data from the U.S. Department of Labor / Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Except where indicated otherwise, findings on advertised job postings in higher education are based on posting data from U.S. colleges and universities that have been continually subscribed to the HigherEdJobs unlimited posting plan since January 2009, a cohort of roughly 850 institutions. Each of the institutions included in this report has paid a flat fee for unlimited advertising and, consequently, has no financial deterrent to discourage it from posting any job opening on HigherEdJobs. The Higher Education Employment Report is produced by HigherEdJobs with critical analysis and expertise provided by Bruce Steinberg ( an independent employment researcher HIGHER EDUCATION EMPLOYMENT REPORT 2

3 Finding: After several years of consistently increasing, the number of jobs in higher education declined in 2013, albeit slightly, for the second consecutive quarter. Higher Education Jobs Compared to All U.S. Jobs (Monthly) Source: HigherEdJobs, based on U.S. Department of Labor / Bureau of Labor Statistics data, which are subject to revisions. (Note: Yellow markers are June data and presented for ease of year-over-year comparison.) The number of jobs in higher education was down during 2013 compared to the same period a year ago, declining 0.6 percent or about 10,500 jobs, according an analysis of the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The number of higher education jobs was also down incrementally during the previous quarter by 0.3 percent, or about 6,300 jobs. This follows several years of quarterly increases, both sequentially as well as yearover-year, though the rate of growth had slowed before declining, albeit slightly, for the past two quarterly periods. In addition, the "market share" of jobs in higher education, which is the ratio of higher education jobs compared to overall U.S. jobs, was 0.03 percentage points lower in 2013 to 1.28 percent of all U.S. jobs. This represents the first decrease in the market share of higher education jobs since at least 2007 and is another example how higher education employment follows a different pattern than the overall U.S. economy. Year-over-year percent change in: Higher education jobs Total overall non-farm jobs Higher education jobs as percent of all jobs Year Annual One possible explanation for the decrease in higher education jobs is that colleges and universities may be trimming their staff size in an attempt to reduce budgets. And, the decline in Source: HigherEdJobs analysis of U.S. Department of Labor / Bureau of Labor Statistics data. market share is likely due to non-educational sectors simply adding jobs at a faster rate than higher education due to an overall growing economy. The federal government does not measure higher education employment or jobs per se. The term as used in this report is the combination of two NAICS (North American Industry Classification System) sectors: Junior Colleges (NAICS ), and Colleges and Universities (NAICS ). The data are reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) of the U.S. Department of Labor HIGHER EDUCATION EMPLOYMENT REPORT 3

4 Finding: The number of advertisements for job openings in higher education increased in 2013, but their rate of growth continued to slow. HigherEdJobs' Postings Compared to All Higher Education Jobs Sources: HigherEdJobs posting data from continuing unlimited posting subscribers; Higher education jobs based upon HigherEdJobs analysis of U.S. Department of Labor / Bureau of Labor Statistics data. The number of advertised job openings in higher education increased during 2013, but at a declining rate of growth compared to previous second quarters. While the number of higher education job advertisements was up, the rate of growth was down significantly, consistent with the decrease in higher education employment. The number of advertised job openings in academia grew 13.1 percent from 2012 to 2013, a considerably lower rate of increase than the 19.5 percent growth rate observed between 2011 to 2012 as well as the 22.1 percent growth rate seen from 2010 to These data are based on the total number of postings from colleges and universities continually subscribed to HigherEdJobs unlimited posting plan for four years or more (a cohort of roughly 850 institutions). The declining rate of growth in the number of advertised job openings in higher education is another sign along with the decline in overall Year HigherEdJobs postings Annual Year-over-year change (in percent) HigherEdJobs postings Total overall non-farm jobs Total Higher Education Jobs Sources: HigherEdJobs posting data from continuing unlimited posting subscribers; Higher education jobs based on HigherEdJobs analysis of U.S. Department of Labor / Bureau of Labor Statistics data. higher education employment that colleges and universities are reducing their staffing levels. However, considering the 0.6 percent decrease in employment was quite small and that job postings were still increasing, albeit more modestly than in the recent past, this suggests institutions are likely not resorting to large, wholesale layoffs. Instead, they are probably not refilling some positions as they become vacant or are postponing hiring replacements. The blue bars (June data highlighted in yellow for ease of year-over-year comparisons) in the chart above signify monthly job openings posted to HigherEdJobs by U.S. colleges and universities that have continuously subscribed to the company s unlimited posting plan since Jan. 1, 2009 (roughly equating to the retail sector s reporting of annual changes of same-store sales ) HIGHER EDUCATION EMPLOYMENT REPORT 4

5 Finding: Colleges and universities may be approaching a balance between administrative / executive positions and faculty positions as the ratio of faculty to non-faculty jobs postings changed only marginally in Faculty Job Postings Compared to and Executive Job Postings Source: HigherEdJobs posting data from continuing unlimited posting subscribers. The ratio of faculty job postings compared to administrative and executive job postings decreased by a relatively small margin during 2013, which has been the trend recently. This trend the ratio of faculty to non-faculty job postings declining at a lessening rate has occurred on a quarterly and annual basis since at least From 2012 to 2013, the ratio of job postings for faculty positions decreased only 0.3 percent, from 27.5 percent to 27.2 percent; a modest decrease compared to the same period in previous years. For example, the ratio of faculty to non-faculty job postings decreased 6.2 percentage points from 2009 to And, it decreased 3.1 percent from 2010 to Year Faculty Positions Percent of job postings that were: Quarter Two and Executive Positions Faculty Positions Annual and Executive Positions While the ratio of faculty to administrative and executive job postings diminished slightly in 2013, the actual number of advertisements for faculty jobs increased 12.1 percent. However, that growth trend was less than the 2012 growth rate of 17.7 percent, but better than the 10.0 percent growth in Similarly, the actual number of administrative and executive positions has also increased but at a consistently diminishing rate of growth, increasing only 13.5 percent in 2013, compared to Source: HigherEdJobs posting data from continuing unlimited posting subscribers percent growth in 2012 and 27.5 percent growth in On an annual basis, the same basic pattern of decelerating growth of both faculty and non-faculty positions occurred in 2010, 2011, and During this period, faculty job postings increased 17.8 percent, 14.6 percent, and 11.1 percent. For administrative and executive job postings, the corresponding changes were 58.0 percent, 26.1 percent, and 15.1 percent, respectively. The declining rate of growth in advertisements for both faculty and non-faculty job openings may be a simple reflection of the slowing growth rate, or slight decline, for all higher education jobs (see Findings of pages three and four). Note: No distinction is made between tenure track and non-tenure track faculty positions. and executive positions cover a wide variety of jobs including academic VPs, provosts, deans, IT managers, network administrators, fundraisers, administrative assistants, counselors, comptrollers, etc HIGHER EDUCATION EMPLOYMENT REPORT 5

6 Finding: The number of community college jobs was down during 2013 and the number of advertised job openings at community colleges, while up, experienced a slowing growth rate. Job Postings and Employment at Community Colleges Sources: HigherEdJobs posting data from continuing unlimited posting subscribers; U.S. Department of Labor / Bureau of Labor Statistics. While the number of jobs at community colleges continued to decline during 2013, but at a smaller rate of decrease compared to the previous second quarter, the number of postings for open positions at community colleges continued to increase, but at a slower rate of growth. In 2013, the number of jobs at community colleges decreased 5.9 percent, an improvement over the 10.7 percent decline experienced in 2012, but still marking the second consecutive year with second quarter job losses for this type of institution. Year Year-over-year change (in percent) Community College Job Postings (HigherEdJobs) Community College Jobs (BLS) Meanwhile, advertisements for job openings at community colleges increased 15.5 percent in 2013, down from the 20.5 percent increase experienced in It is not inconsistent to notice job advertisements increasing Sources: HigherEdJobs posting data from continuing while the actual number of jobs decreases. For example, an unlimited posting subscribers; community college jobs institution may need to advertise a number of jobs because of from Department of Labor / Bureau of Labor Statistics. employee retirement, promotion, or transfer, but choose not to refill all positions, thereby causing a net decrease in total employment. However, the declining growth rate in advertisements for job openings at community colleges, combined with a decrease in employment in this sector, suggest community colleges may be attempting to reduce the total size of their staffs. Note: Even though most two-year institutions now designate themselves as Community Colleges, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics still categorizes these institutions as Junior Colleges. To avoid confusion, Junior Colleges are referred to as Community Colleges in this finding. The red markers, and right-hand scale, indicate Community College jobs HIGHER EDUCATION EMPLOYMENT REPORT 6

7 Finding: Even though the ratio of part-time to full-time positions in higher education rose slightly in 2013, it has been relatively stable in recent second quarters. Average Percentage of Part-Time Postings Source: HigherEdJobs posting data from continuing unlimited posting subscribers. The mix of part-time to full-time higher education job postings rose slightly in 2013, but the second quarter ratio has continued to remain fairly stable for the past few years. The ratio of part-time higher education job postings declined significantly in 2010, then somewhat rebounded in 2011, and then declined slightly in For 2013, the ratio of part-time postings rose slightly, essentially returning to 2011 levels. This up-and-down movement indicates that the ratio may be at a stasis point. In 2010, the percentage of postings for part-time jobs declined during both the second quarter by 1.5 percentage points to 14.9 percent and for the year to 13.8 percent from the same periods in However, in 2011, the ratios increased to 15.6 percent in and to 14.6 percent for the year, but were still lower (for the quarter) or the same (annually) than the 2009 levels. Since that time, the second quarter ratio has remained relatively stable (either between 15.3 and 15.7 percent) for the second quarters in 2011 to 2013, inclusive. Although postings for part-time positions in higher education have risen, institutions continued to increase their advertisements for full-time positions as well, but at a lower rate of growth compared to past second quarters. While the number of postings for full-time positions increased 12.7 percent in 2013, it was outpaced by the growth in parttime postings that increased 15.9 percent during the same period. Average percentage of part-time postings Change in number of part-time job postings (in percent) Change in number of full-time job postings (in percent) Source: HigherEdJobs posting data from continuing unlimited posting subscribers HIGHER EDUCATION EMPLOYMENT REPORT 7

8 Finding: Institutions continued to post a growing share of their second quarter faculty openings for part-time positions in In contrast, the share of administrative and executive job postings for part-time versus fulltime employment was somewhat lower. Portion of Job Postings that are Part-Time Source: HigherEdJobs posting data from continuing unlimited posting subscribers. Colleges and universities continued to post an increasing percentage of their faculty hiring for part-time instead of full-time positions in And, at the same time, they decreased the percentage of administrative job postings for parttime work, albeit slightly. During 2013, 28.7 percent of faculty job postings were for adjunct/part-time positions, an increase over the previous year when 25.9 percent of faculty postings were for part-time. Historically, from at least 2009, this ratio is highest in the second quarter so the 28.7 percent reached in 2013 is a recent all-time high. Year Detail of Full-Time Compared to Part-Time Jobs Postings (in percent) Change in Full- Annual Change Annual Change Ratio of Time Faculty in Full-Time in Part-Time Faculty Postings Faculty Faculty Postings for (Annual) Postings Postings Part-Time Year Change in Full- Time Postings (Annual) Annual Change in Full-Time Postings Annual Change in Part-Time Postings Ratio of Postings for Part-Time The actual number of postings for full-time faculty increased 7.8 percent during 2013 compared to the year before. However, the increase in full-time faculty postings was somewhat modest compared to previous second quarters; 2013 growth was Source: HigherEdJobs posting data from continuing unlimited posting subscribers. less than the 25.7 percent increase in 2010, more than the 3.7 percent in 2011, but less than the 18.0 percent in Consistent with previous reports, colleges and universities appear to be continuing their reliance on part-time faculty (more than one-quarter of all faculty jobs posted during 2013) while keeping their administrative staff predominately full-time (less than 10 percent of administrative job postings have been for part-time positions over the last five second quarters) HIGHER EDUCATION EMPLOYMENT REPORT 8

9 Finding: The West region led the country in higher education job posting growth for the second consecutive quarter in 2013, due in large part to strength in the Pacific area. Change in Higher Education Job Postings by Census Division 2012 to 2013 Source: HigherEdJobs job postings from unlimited posting subscribers in 2012 and In the first half of 2013 (Q1 and ), the West region experienced the greatest increase in the number of higher education job postings due to strong growth in the Pacific area which experienced a 35.8 percent increase in 2013 and a 24.2 percent increase in Q Nationally, this cohort, which includes unlimited posting subscribers for the past 12 months, experienced a 15.1 percent rate of growth nationally for all types of higher education job postings. Region percent change in 2013 East South Central -1.9 Two areas experienced declines in higher education South Atlantic 26.7 job postings. East North Central dropped by 3.1 NORTHEAST 16.7 Middle Atlantic 17.0 percent and East South Central declined by 1.9 percent. New England 16.3 Source: HigherEdJobs job postings from unlimited posting Notwithstanding the growth or declines for job postings subscribers in 2012 and in some areas and the small decline nationally regarding the number of higher education jobs, the rates of change for jobs postings throughout the country are relative to recent historical trends fairly moderate, suggesting a continuing stable employment environment in higher education. Area percent change in 2013 WEST 19.5 Pacific 35.8 Mountain 8.5 MIDWEST 3.0 West North Central 20.5 East North Central -3.1 SOUTH 16.8 West South Central 0.3 Note: The regions and areas used for this analysis are consistent with the official U.S. Census regions and divisions. ( HIGHER EDUCATION EMPLOYMENT REPORT 9

10 Higher Education Employment Report Second Quarter, 2013 / Published August 2013 For more information, contact: John Ikenberry, Ph.D. President and Co-Founder HigherEdJobs 328 Innovation Boulevard, Suite 300 State College, PA media@higheredjobs.com (ext. 202) Published by