University Staffing Data
University Staff Date for 2012 Released
A significant increase in the number of domestic students being offered and accepting government supported university places, through the new demand driven system, provides the main explanation for an increase in the university staffing levels in 2012.
The release on Tuesday 16 October 2012 of the latest university staffing data by the Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, Research and Tertiary Education (DIISRTE) [www.innovation.gov.au ] shows that between 2011 and 2012 full time equivalent (FTE) total staff (including the estimated casuals) at all Australian universities increase by 4,675 FTE or 4.1%.
According to the data, only two universities experienced significant declines in staff FTE, namely Queensland University of Technology where staffing declined by 83 FTE or 1.9% and La Trobe University where staffing declined by 60 FTE or 1.8%. By contrast the universities of Notre Dame, Canberra, Central Queensland, Swinburne, Western Sydney and the Australian Catholic University all experienced increases of 10% or more FTE. Table shows the changes in FTE for all public universities between 2011 and 2012.
The overall increase in staffing levels is welcomed. However, it should be noted that while total staff FTE increased by 4.1%, FTE for full time and fractional (continuing staff) increased by only 3.7%, whereas estimated casual FTE increased by 6.3%.
As a consequence the proportion of casual staff in FTE rose from 16.1% to 16.4% continuing the trend to greater level of casualisation in the sector over recent years.
The extent and impact of increasing casualisation across higher education is highlighted by the fact that for 16 universities, more than 40% of the increase in staff FTE is accounted for by casuals. At one university (the University of South Australia ) the data show that while total staffing increased by some 36 FTE this was achieved by a reduction of two full time and fractional FTE and a increase of 38 casual FTE.
NTEU sees casualisation of the university workforce as an issue of major concern for the quality of Australian university education and research.
Research undertaken by the NTEU and others has shown that a lack of job security is amongst the primary reasons for making academia an unattractive career proposition for many Australians with, or enrolled in, post graduate research degrees.
NTEU also questions whether the quality of Australian higher education can be sustained where more than half of all undergraduate teaching is now being undertaken by casual academics.
Finally, it should be noted that casualisation also has considerable implications for gender equity in university workplaces. An analysis of recent university staffing data shows that women are over represented in relatively low general staff positions and in teaching-only academic positions which are predominantly casual. Tellingly, while women represent 55% of all university staff they only make up about 28% of the professoriate (academic staff at level D and above).
A more detailed analysis of the 2012 staffing data will be posted in coming days.
| Table 1 | |||||||||||
| Changes in Full Timer Equivalent (FTE) Staffing Australian Universities 2011 to 2012 | |||||||||||
| FTE | Percentage Changes | ||||||||||
| State/Provider | Full-time plus Fractional Full-time | Estimated | TOTAL | Full-time plus Fractional Full-time | Estimated | TOTAL | |||||
| Males | Females | Persons | Casuals | FTE | Males | Females | Persons | Casual | FTE | ||
| All Universities | 1,356 | 2,160 | 3,515 | 1,160 | 4,675 | 3.1% | 4.1% | 3.7% | 6.3% | 4.1% | |
| Queensland University of Technology | -26 | -36 | -63 | -20 | -83 | 6.2% | 1.4% | 3.4% | -9.3% | -0.1% | |
| La Trobe University | -21 | -9 | -30 | -30 | -60 | -1.0% | 0.7% | -0.1% | 8.1% | 1.2% | |
| Bond University | 18 | 6 | 24 | -25 | -1 | -0.2% | 0.3% | 0.1% | 23.5% | 1.7% | |
| Murdoch University | -4 | 11 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 1.0% | 1.2% | 1.1% | 15.4% | 3.9% | |
| University of Southern Queensland | -12 | 18 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 4.0% | 1.8% | 2.6% | 28.6% | 7.4% | |
| Curtin University of Technology | -2 | 27 | 26 | -7 | 19 | 24.9% | 36.3% | 32.1% | 350.0% | 90.0% | |
| The University of New England | -1 | 2 | 1 | 20 | 21 | 3.6% | 4.2% | 4.0% | 239.3% | 10.3% | |
| Charles Darwin University | -3 | 17 | 13 | 15 | 28 | -2.5% | 2.6% | 0.6% | 3.8% | 1.2% | |
| Edith Cowan University | -4 | 18 | 14 | 15 | 29 | 8.6% | 3.1% | 5.3% | 28.1% | 9.4% | |
| The University of Sydney | -4 | 24 | 18 | 15 | 33 | -1.4% | 6.0% | 2.7% | 15.6% | 4.8% | |
| University of South Australia | -11 | 10 | -2 | 38 | 36 | -0.7% | 1.9% | 0.9% | 6.1% | 1.6% | |
| University of the Sunshine Coast | 12 | 22 | 34 | 23 | 57 | -1.9% | -0.6% | -1.1% | -4.4% | -1.8% | |
| James Cook University | 8 | 35 | 43 | 14 | 57 | 8.3% | 6.8% | 7.4% | 33.3% | 11.5% | |
| University of Ballarat | 7 | 58 | 66 | -6 | 60 | -0.1% | 0.7% | 0.3% | 1.2% | 0.4% | |
| Victoria University | 44 | 4 | 47 | 20 | 67 | 1.8% | 0.9% | 1.2% | 3.9% | 1.7% | |
| RMIT University | 50 | 83 | 132 | -60 | 72 | 3.7% | 10.6% | 7.1% | 25.0% | 10.1% | |
| Griffith University | 26 | 18 | 43 | 31 | 74 | 5.4% | 5.8% | 5.7% | 15.9% | 7.7% | |
| Southern Cross University | 14 | 9 | 22 | 56 | 78 | 6.4% | 4.4% | 5.4% | 11.7% | 6.6% | |
| University of Wollongong | 33 | 50 | 83 | 10 | 93 | 2.0% | 4.0% | 3.0% | 14.3% | 4.1% | |
| Charles Sturt University | 39 | 30 | 68 | 27 | 95 | 5.8% | 10.0% | 8.6% | 17.1% | 10.3% | |
| Macquarie University | 10 | 14 | 24 | 80 | 104 | 2.5% | 4.5% | 3.6% | 13.3% | 4.7% | |
| Central Queensland University | 15 | 25 | 40 | 67 | 107 | 6.8% | 0.5% | 3.1% | 5.3% | 3.6% | |
| University of Canberra | 27 | 33 | 60 | 50 | 110 | 4.6% | 2.8% | 3.5% | 8.6% | 4.2% | |
| The Flinders University of South Australia | 33 | 69 | 101 | 9 | 110 | 5.0% | 3.3% | 4.2% | 9.3% | 4.9% | |
| The University of Newcastle | 45 | 107 | 152 | -30 | 122 | 1.1% | 3.6% | 2.5% | 6.8% | 3.0% | |
| University of Tasmania | 28 | 55 | 83 | 40 | 123 | -1.7% | -1.8% | -1.8% | -2.6% | -1.9% | |
| Swinburne University of Technology | 23 | 64 | 87 | 60 | 147 | 5.6% | 5.8% | 5.7% | 3.4% | 5.2% | |
| Australian Catholic University | 24 | 84 | 108 | 53 | 161 | 3.6% | 5.0% | 4.3% | 2.2% | 3.9% | |
| The University of Adelaide | 71 | 54 | 127 | 45 | 172 | 4.6% | 6.3% | 5.6% | 2.8% | 5.1% | |
| The University of Western Australia | 53 | 114 | 166 | 7 | 173 | 6.6% | 8.7% | 7.7% | 1.9% | 6.8% | |
| The Australian National University | 42 | 71 | 114 | 60 | 174 | 3.3% | 5.9% | 4.7% | 2.3% | 4.5% | |
| Deakin University | 64 | 92 | 156 | 25 | 181 | 3.0% | 3.2% | 3.1% | 0.6% | 2.8% | |
| University of Technology, Sydney | 71 | 53 | 124 | 67 | 191 | -0.7% | 1.5% | 0.6% | 0.0% | 0.5% | |
| The University of Queensland | 93 | 110 | 203 | 6 | 209 | 4.9% | 6.5% | 5.8% | -0.3% | 4.8% | |
| The University of New South Wales | 129 | 152 | 281 | -30 | 251 | 2.7% | 17.1% | 11.0% | -3.6% | 7.8% | |
| University of Western Sydney | 76 | 41 | 117 | 135 | 252 | 4.7% | 5.7% | 5.2% | -2.8% | 3.9% | |
| The University of Melbourne | 140 | 229 | 369 | -3 | 366 | 4.4% | 7.6% | 6.2% | -5.9% | 4.1% | |
| The University of Notre Dame Australia | 44 | 99 | 144 | 350 | 494 | -0.1% | 1.6% | 0.8% | -1.1% | 0.5% | |
| Monash University | 185 | 305 | 489 | 24 | 513 | 3.9% | 6.1% | 5.0% | -7.9% | 2.1% | |
Comments
There are no comments. Be the first to have your say!