Inside Higher Ed: Staffing Up, Part Timers Down
WASHINGTON — Given how broad the data are and the fact that they represent a moment before the economy fully hit the skids late last year, it’s hard to know exactly how much to read into them. But a report issued by the Education Department on Wednesday shows a decline in the proportion of instructional staff at degree-granting colleges who were working part time in fall 2008.
The report, “Employees in Postsecondary Institutions, Fall 2008, and Salaries of Full-Time Instructional Staff, 2008-09,” is an annual study from the National Center for Education Statistics, part of the department’s Institute for Education Sciences. It provides a 30,000-foot look at the composition of the higher education work force, offering breakdowns by position type, type of institution, etc. While the report itself does not contain comparative data to previous years, some trends can be gleaned by comparing it to similar reports from 2007 and 2006.
The Chronicle: One-Third of College Employees Are Part-Timers, Education Dept. Reports
The proportion of part-time employees at colleges with students eligible for federal financial aid is holding steady at about one-third of the work force, according to an annual report released today by the U.S. Education Department’s statistical arm, the National Center for Education Statistics. The report, “Employees in Postsecondary Institutions, Fall 2008, and Salaries of Full-Time Instructional Faculty, 2008-09,” echoes findings in the report’s last three editions, covering 2005, 2006, and 2007. The employment data largely predate the effects of the financial crisis, so its impact on employment levels is not necessarily reflected in the report. Better salary data for the 2008-9 year have already been issued by the American Association of University Professors and the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources.
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