Q4 & Annual 2017 HIGHER EDUCATION. Employment Report. Published by

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1 Q4 & Annual 2017 HIGHER EDUCATION Employment Report Published by

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3 Executive Summary The number of jobs in higher education increased 0.6 percent, or 24,200 jobs, during the fourth quarter of This was a change in direction from a year earlier when there was a 0.2 percent decline, or about 8,100 jobs, in Q For the year, the number of higher education jobs increased 0.6 percent in 2017 compared to an increase of only 0.2 percent in Meanwhile, the number of postings for open positions in higher education increased 1.4 percent in Q4 2017, slightly less than half of the 3.1 percent gain observed in Q However, on an annual basis, the number of higher education job postings declined, albeit marginally, 0.4 percent due to two quarterly declines in And in a reversal of recent trends, job postings for part-time positions both faculty as well as administrative and executive declined in Q but increased for full-time positions of both categories. Fourth quarter 2017 analyses, as well as annually for 2017, 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: The number of jobs in higher education increased in Q4 2017, which was in stark contrast to the trend one year earlier. p.2 Job postings and employment at community colleges both continued to decline in Q p.7 Higher education job postings experienced minimal growth in Q and were down annually in p.3 The number of faculty job postings declined in Q while postings for non-faculty positions increased, but at a slightly slower rate than the previous year. p.4 Contrary to recent trends, the weak growth in job postings in Q was driven entirely by a decline in part-time job postings. p.5 The South experienced the largest percentage increase in higher education job postings while the Northeast experienced the largest percentage decline. p.8 SPECIAL FOCUS: for jobs in student affairs experienced declining growth, but it was still greater when compared to all higher education job postings. Job postings for part-time faculty and administrators declined in Q while postings for full-time faculty and administrators increased. p.6 Higher Education Employment Report Q

4 Finding The number of jobs in higher education increased in Q4 2017, which was in stark contrast to the trend one year earlier. Higher Education Jobs Compared to All U.S. Jobs (Monthly) All Higher Education Jobs 6,000,000 5,000,000 4,000,000 3,000,000 2,000,000 1,000,000 All U.S. Jobs (total non-farm employment) 150,000, ,000, ,000, ,000, Source: HigherEdJobs, based on U.S. Department of Labor / Bureau of Labor Statistics data, which are subject to revisions. (Note: Yellow markers are December data and presented for ease of year-over-year comparison.) Higher education employment which this analysis defines as all jobs at public and private colleges and universities, community colleges, technical and trade schools, as well as business, computer, and management training schools increased by 0.6 percent, or about 24,200 jobs, in Q This was in stark contrast to a year earlier in Q when they declined 0.2 percent, or about 8,100 jobs. On an annual basis, higher education jobs increased 0.6 percent, or about 22,000 jobs, in 2017, the largest annual gain since 2012 when they increased 0.7 percent, or about 25,900 jobs. Higher education jobs represented 2.72 percent of all jobs in the U.S. during Q and 2.64 percent in This metric continues to trend downward primarily because overall U.S. employment has been increasing at a faster rate while higher education employment growth has been relatively steady. Examining public compared to private institutions, 62.6 percent of all higher education jobs were at public institutions in 2017 and 37.4 percent at private organizations. The vast majority of higher education employment is at four-year colleges and universities. During 2017, 77.0 percent of all higher education jobs were at four-year institutions. The remaining 23.0 percent is divided between community colleges, 17.8 percent, technical and trade schools, 3.4 percent, and business, computer and management training schools, 1.8 percent. Year-Over-Year Percent Change in: Higher Education Jobs Total Overall Non-Farm Jobs Higher Education Jobs as Percent of All Jobs Year Annual Q4 Q4 Annual Q Sources: HigherEdJobs analysis of U.S. Department of Labor / Bureau of Labor Statistics data. All Public and Private Higher Education Employment, % 4 Year Colleges and Universities 17.8% Community Colleges 3.4% Technical and Trade Schools 1.8% Business, Computer, and Management Training Schools 2 Higher Education Employment Report Q4 2017

5 Finding Higher education job postings experienced minimal growth in Q and were down annually in HigherEdJobs Compared to All Higher Education Jobs All Higher Education 20,000 18,000 16,000 14,000 12,000 10,000 8,000 6,000 4,000 2,000 All from Continuing Subscribers on HigherEdJobs 4,500,000 4,000,000 3,500,000 3,000,000 2,500,000 2,000,000 1,500,000 1,000, , 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. (Note: December data highlighted in yellow for ease of year-over-year comparisons.) The number of advertised job openings in academia declined 0.4 percent in 2017, the first time this metric has declined on an annual basis since at least Although the number of postings increased 1.4 percent in Q as well as 0.2 percent in Q2 2017, the gains in those two quarters of 2017 were not enough to offset the declines of 1.5 percent and 1.3 percent in Q1 and Q3, respectively. Interestingly, the two quarterly declines in 2017 were the only quarterly declines from at least 2014 as well. Despite total higher education employment experiencing relatively strong growth of 0.6 percent in Q4 2017, the continued decelerating 1.4 percent increase for job postings in Q requires a closer examination of some of the underlying data and trends. (The slowing growth of job postings a year earlier, in Q4 2016, of 3.1 percent could be explained by the overall 0.2 percent decline in higher education jobs in Q ) As detailed in additional findings in this report, the slowing growth rate for higher education job postings in Q was driven by decreases for part-time positions, both for faculty and administrators, and was also geographically concentrated in two areas. The 1.3 percent decline in Spring 2018 enrollments according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center could have made some administrators wary of creating new part-time positions at the end of 2017 and hence the relatively small increase in all higher education job postings in Q The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center also reports of declining student enrollments in Fall 2017 and Spring 2017, which could at least partially account for the 0.4 percent annual decline in higher education job postings in Year-Over-Year Percent Change in: HigherEdJobs Total Higher Education Jobs Year Annual Q4 Annual Q 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 Report Q

6 Finding The number of faculty job postings declined in Q while postings for non-faculty positions increased, but at a slightly slower rate than the previous year. Faculty Job Compared to Administrative and Executive Job Percent Change in Faculty Percent Change in Administrative & Executive 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Q1 Q1 Q1 Q1 Percent of Faculty Job 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% -10% Source: HigherEdJobs posting data from continuing unlimited posting subscribers. (Note: Yellow markers are December data and presented for ease of year-over-year comparison.) Job postings for faculty positions decreased 2.1 percent in Q from Q4 2016, when they increased 3.0 percent from Q However, the Q decline of 2.1 percent was an improvement from the 3.4 percent decline of these postings in the immediately preceding quarter of Q At the same time, the number of administrative and executive job postings increased 2.9 percent in Q from Q4 2016, only slightly slower growth than the 3.2 percent increase in Q from Q And similar to the trend observed with faculty job postings the Q increase of 2.9 percent was an improvement from the 0.6 percent decline of these postings in the immediately preceding quarter of Q The ratio of faculty to administrative and executive job postings decreased slightly during Q Faculty job postings represented 29.3 percent of all job postings, slightly down from 30.3 percent in Q and Q Although that change was fairly marginal for Q4 2017, this metric is now considerably lower compared to recent years; it was 34.1 percent in Q and 37.0 percent in Q The declining ratio of faculty to non-faculty job postings can also be seen on an annual basis. In 2013, faculty job postings represented 30.9 percent of all postings, 29.3 percent in 2014, 27.3 percent in 2015, 25.8 percent in 2016, and 25.3 percent in The ratio of administrative and executive positions to faculty positions followed the opposite trend by increasing in subsequent time periods. Referring back to a trend earlier in this report of declining student enrollments, perhaps institutional leaders have determined that fewer faculty members are needed due to shrinking student populations. However, institutions may be adding to their marketing, administrative, and executive ranks in an attempt to attract more students. Percent of Job That Were: Year Faculty Positions Fourth Quarter Administrative and Executive Positions Faculty Positions Annual Administrative and Executive Positions Source: HigherEdJobs posting data from continuing unlimited posting subscribers. 4 Higher Education Employment Report Q4 2017

7 Finding Contrary to recent trends, the weak growth in job postings in Q was driven entirely by a decline in part-time job postings. Average Percentage of Part-Time Percent Part-Time Job 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% Source: HigherEdJobs posting data from continuing unlimited posting subscribers. (Note: December data highlighted in yellow for ease of year-over-year comparisons.) The weak increase in all higher education job postings during Q was driven by a decline in job postings for part-time positions, which is contrary to the trend in the immediately preceding quarter when the decline in the number of overall job postings was driven entirely by the decrease in the number of job postings for full-time positions. The number of job postings for part-time positions decreased 7.2 percent in Q4 2017, more than a 20-percentage point difference from the 13.9 percentage increase one year earlier in Q The decline in postings for part-time positions was the only decline observed since at least 2014, regardless of quarter. Furthermore, every quarter since Q has experienced double-digit percentage increases in the number of postings for parttime positions except one and that was the immediately preceding quarter of Q when they increased by a mere 2.0 percent. The number of job postings for full-time positions increased 3.1 percent in Q4 2017, an improvement from the 1.2 percent increase observed in Q and the only increase of this metric in After several years of consistent increases, job postings for full-time positions in higher education first declined in Q with a 4.0 percent decrease, were down 2.5 percent in Q2 2017, and declined 1.9 percent in Q before increasing 3.1 percent in Q Although 3.1 percent increase in postings for full-time positions may appear to be minor, it should be pointed out that there are more than five full-time job postings for every one part-time posting. The decline in postings for part-time positions could be due to myriad reasons including institutions determining they are currently staffed at optimal levels and do not anticipate adding new positions, neither part-time nor full-time. Average Percentage of Part-Time Percent Change in Number of Part-Time Year Annual Q4 Q4 Q Source: HigherEdJobs posting data from continuing unlimited posting subscribers. Full-Time Higher Education Employment Report Q

8 Finding Job postings for part-time faculty and administrators declined in Q while postings for full-time faculty and administrators increased. Portion of Job That Are Part-Time Percentage of Faculty Job That Are Part-Time Percentage of Administrative Job That Are Part-Time 45% 40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% Q1 Q1 Q1 Q1 Q Source: HigherEdJobs posting data from continuing unlimited posting subscribers. Job postings for full-time faculty positions increased 1.4 percent during Q4 2017, compared to the essentially flat growth of 0.1 percent observed in Q for part-time faculty declined 10.1 percent in Q4 2017, which is in stark contrast to the 10.4 percent increase observed a year earlier in Q Annually, job postings for full-time faculty declined 4.0 percent in 2017, which is a change in direction of the 5.9 percent increase in these postings in Job postings for part-time faculty increased 1.6 percent, a lesser growth rate than the 9.0 percent observed in for full-time administrative positions increased 3.4 percent during Q4 2017, double the 1.7 percent increase observed during Q Similar to trends with part-time faculty, postings for part-time administrative positions also decreased during Q4 2017, declining 3.4 percent compared to the same period the year before when they increased 18.4 percent. Job postings for full-time administrative positions declined, albeit marginally, 0.7 percent annually in 2017, which is a change in direction compared to the 14.7 percent increase in these postings in However, job postings for part-time administrative positions increased 9.7 percent, which is a lesser growth rate than the 26.1 percent observed in the prior year. The decline of job postings for both types of part-time positions during the fourth quarter and mild increases for full-time job postings for both could indicate administrators believe enrollment variations are stabilizing and therefore can make longer-term staffing decisions, albeit cautiously. Percent of Full-Time and Part-Time Job Faculty Job Year Change in Full-Time Change in Part-Time Change in Q4 Full-Time Change in Q4 Part-Time Administrative Job Year Change in Full-Time Change in Part-Time Change in Q4 Full-Time Change in Q4 Part-Time Source: HigherEdJobs posting data from continuing unlimited posting subscribers. 6 Higher Education Employment Report Q4 2017

9 Finding Job postings and employment at community colleges both continued to decline in Q Job and Employment at Community Colleges All Community College Jobs 5,000 Community College Job on HigherEdJobs 800,000 4,000 3,000 2,000 1, , , , 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. (Note: December data highlighted in yellow for ease of year-over-year comparisons.) The number of job postings at community colleges decreased in Q for the fourth consecutive quarter. Similarly, employment at community colleges has decreased for four straight years, or the 16th consecutive year-overyear quarterly decrease of this metric. Job postings for open positions at community colleges declined 8.5 percent in Q These postings declined in every quarter of 2017 but the annual decline for 2017 is the first since at least The decline in community college job postings during Q from the year before was broadbased, but there was an exception. Job postings for full-time administrative positions increased 1.9 percent in Q from Q4 2016, the only job type that increased during that period. This development is consistent with the previous notion in this report that institutions may be adding to their administrative ranks in order to boost their marketing and executive ranks possibly to improve student enrollments. Meanwhile, employment at community colleges decreased 1.6 percent, or about 11,600 jobs, during Q from Q Year-Over-Year Percent Change in: Community College Job (HigherEdJobs) Community College Job (BLS) Year Annual Q4 Annual Q 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. Note: Though most two-year institutions now designate themselves as Community Colleges, the BLS still categorizes these institutions as Junior Colleges. To avoid confusion, Junior Colleges are referred to as Community Colleges in this finding and throughout this report. Higher Education Employment Report Q

10 Finding The South experienced the largest percentage increase in higher education job postings while the Northeast experienced the largest percentage decline. Change in Higher Education Job by Census Region and Division Q to Q Source: HigherEdJobs job postings from unlimited posting subscribers in Q and Q MIDWEST WEST West North Central 4.4 East North Central Middle Atlantic New England NORTHEAST -2.7 Pacific South Atlantic Mountain -2.2 SOUTH 5.5 East South Central West South Central During the fourth quarter of 2017, the South experienced the largest percentage increase in higher education job postings, expanding by 5.5 percent and representing 34.6 percent of all higher education job postings during the quarter. Job postings in its East South Central area increased 23.2 percent. In contrast, the Northeast experienced the only regional decline with a decrease of 2.7 percent in job postings. Within the Northeast, the New England area had the largest decline in higher education postings in Q4 2017, decreasing 8.3 percent compared to one year ago. The number of job postings in the cohort for this regional analysis increased 2.9 percent. It should be pointed out that the cohort examined for this regional analysis of higher education job postings differs from the cohort analyzed in the rest of this report, which is comprised of continuous subscribers for four years. Note: The regions and divisions used for this analysis are consistent with the official U.S. Census regions and divisions. ( 8 Higher Education Employment Report Q4 2017

11 SPECIAL FOCUS ON STUDENT AFFAIRS JOB POSTINGS Finding for jobs in student affairs experienced declining growth, but it was still greater when compared to all higher education job postings. Student Affairs and Services Job Student Affairs Job 2,500 2,000 1,500 1, Source: HigherEdJobs postings from continuing subscribers since January (Note: Yellow markers are December data and presented for ease of year-over-year comparison.) for jobs in student affairs grew at a slower rate in Q than in Q and, although that trend was mirrored on an annual basis, the slowing quarterly growth was much greater than the annual change. However, job postings for this group of positions increased at a slightly faster rate than for all higher education job postings in Q and at a much faster rate annually in 2017 as discussed in other findings in this report. The number of student affairs jobs posted during the fourth quarter grew only 1.6 percent in Q4 2017, much less than the 11.7 percent growth observed in Q The increase for all higher education job postings expanded by 1.4 percent in Q and increased 3.1 percent the year before in Q On an annual basis, more student affairs jobs were posted during 2017 than in any of the preceding four years. Job postings for student affairs positions increased 4.8 percent, 12.6 percent, and 6.8 percent in 2017, 2016, and 2015, respectively, from the prior year. In contrast, job postings for all higher education jobs declined 0.4 percent, increased 13.1 percent, and 19.2 percent in 2017, 2016, and 2015, respectively, from the prior year. For the past couple of years, the growth rate for job postings for student affairs positions had been increasing at a greater rate than job postings for administrative and executive positions as a whole. However, in Q4 2017, administrative and executive job postings increased 2.9 percent (discussed in other findings in this report), which was a greater rate than the 1.6 percent increase of job postings for student affairs and services positions for the same period. Perhaps senior institutional administrators have determined that the multitude of departments that provide student affairs and services are approaching optimal staffing levels and do not require more staff and / or are not experiencing as high employee turnover that had been occurring in earlier years. Student Affairs and Services Job Year Student Affairs Job (average per month) Percent Change in Annual Student Affairs Job Percent Change in Q4 Student Affairs Job , , , ,659 Source: HigherEdJobs posting data from continuing unlimited posting subscribers since 2014.

12 SPECIAL FOCUS ON STUDENT AFFAIRS JOB POSTINGS Number of Student Affairs Job (Quarterly Average) ,400 2,100 1,800 1,500 1, Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Source: HigherEdJobs posting data from continuing unlimited posting subscribers since In previous reports, this Special Focus section selected the first and third quarters for further analysis because the biggest difference occurred between those periods. The third quarter still appears to be a peak for these types of job postings as institutions prepare for the upcoming academic year. However, the trough for this category of job postings for the past two years is now the fourth quarter, so the third and fourth quarter are now selected for further analysis. The number of postings for jobs in student affairs and services generally peaks during the third quarter, specifically between June and August, as administrators begin to adjust staffing levels for the upcoming academic year. Then, postings in the category fall off the following quarter, ostensibly because the increased job postings in the third quarter yielded a suitable supply of candidates and/or hires and hence further job postings were not necessary. Within student affairs, job categories that contain a certain percentage of postings in one quarter typically contain a similar portion of postings in another, but there were exceptions. As seen in past analysis of this data subset, the largest disparities between quarterly posting averages for the previous three years occurred in some of the same categories. The largest gap is with student affairs and services positions that averaged 21.7 percent of all student affairs and services job postings in Q3 for , inclusive, but only 20.4 percent in Q4 for the same years, a difference of 1.3 percentage points. The next largest gap between Q3 and Q4 postings was for admissions and enrollment job postings, which averaged 22.0 percent in Q3 and 21.2 percent in Q4, a difference of 0.8 percentage points. A slightly smaller gap of 0.7 percentage points exists between Q3 and Q4 for financial aid job postings. For the other student affairs related job categories, the differences between Q3 and Q4 postings ranged from minus 0.3 percent (multicultural affairs and affirmative action) to plus 0.5 percent (registrars). Percent of All Student Affairs and Services Job Student Affairs and Services Job Categories Q Q Q Q Q Q Academic Advising Admissions and Enrollment Career Counseling and Placement Disability Services Financial Aid Food Services International Programs Multicultural Affairs & Affirmative Action Registrars Residence Life and Housing Student Affairs and Services Volunteer Programs Sources: HigherEdJobs postings from continuing subscribers since January (Institutions may advertise the same opening in more than one category.)

13 About this Report The HigherEdJobs Higher Education Employment Report, published quarterly, provides summary information about employment within the higher education community. In this report, higher education employment is defined as all types of employment at four-year colleges and universities, two-year community colleges, and other types of higher educational training as well as trade schools, both public and private. Findings on jobs in higher education are based on data from the U.S. Department of Labor / Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), specifically the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages. Except where indicated otherwise, findings on advertised job postings in higher education are based on posting data from non-profit U.S. colleges and universities that have been continually subscribed to the HigherEdJobs Unlimited Posting Plan since January 2013, a cohort of roughly 870 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. About HigherEdJobs HigherEdJobs is published by Internet Employment Linkage, Inc. (IEL) and is the leading source for jobs and career information in academia. The company s website, receives 1.4 million unique visitors a month. During 2017, roughly 5,400 colleges and universities posted 223,500 faculty, administrative, and executive job postings to HigherEdJobs. 328 Innovation Blvd., Suite 235 State College, PA HigherEdJobs.com sales@higheredjobs.com

14 Choose wisely. The candidates you hire today will impact your institution tomorrow. HigherEdJobs will ensure your school attracts and hires the very best. 1.4 million unique visitors each month (verified by Google Analytics) 223,500 jobs posted by 5,400 colleges and universities last year 200+ categories provide a targeted audience for every job at your school 98% of schools on our Unlimited Posting Plan renewed last year Average job posting viewed 460 times and searched 11,300 times Learn more at HigherEdJobs.com or call