Q1 2018 HIGHER EDUCATION Employment Report Published by
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Executive Summary The number of jobs in higher education increased 0.3 percent, or 13,000 jobs, during the first quarter of 2018. This was about one-half of the growth observed one year earlier in Q1 2017 when the number of higher education jobs increased 0.7 percent, or about 26,500 jobs. In addition, all of the growth in Q1 2018 can be attributed to an increase in the number of jobs at all private institutions, which increased slightly more than 1.0 percent, or about 14,800 jobs, while the number of jobs at all public institutions marginally declined by less than 0.1 percent, or about 1,800 jobs. Meanwhile, the number of postings for open positions in higher education increased 3.8 percent in Q1 2018, which was substantially better than the 0.5 percent increase observed in Q1 2017. Furthermore, all of the increase in postings for higher education jobs can be attributed to a rise in the number of postings for full-time positions since there was a decrease in the number of postings for part-time positions. This development of increasing full-time postings and declining part-time postings was first observed in the immediately preceding fourth quarter of 2017 after several years of part-time job postings increasing at a greater rate than postings for full-time jobs. First quarter 2018 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: The number of jobs in higher education increased at a more moderate rate in Q1 2018 than one year earlier. p.2 Higher education job postings experienced much faster growth in Q1 2018 than the nominal growth observed one year earlier. p.3 Both faculty and non-faculty job postings increased in Q1 2018. p.4 Growth in job postings in Q1 2018 was driven entirely by an increase in job postings for full-time positions, which was the same trend observed in the immediately preceding quarter. p.5 As observed in the immediately preceding quarter, job postings for full-time faculty and administrators increased while postings for part-time faculty and administrators declined in Q1 2018. p.6 Both job postings and employment at community colleges continued to decline in Q1 2018. p.7 The Northeast experienced the largest percentage increase in higher education job postings while the West experienced a percentage decline, albeit nominal. p.8 Higher Education Employment Report Q1 2018 1
The number of jobs in higher education increased at a more moderate rate in Q1 2018 than 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) 150,000,000 145,000,000 140,000,000 135,000,000 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Source: HigherEdJobs, based on U.S. Department of Labor / Bureau of Labor Statistics data, which are subject to revisions. (Note: March data highlighted in yellow for ease of year-over-year comparisons.) Higher education employment which this analysis defines as all jobs at public as well as private colleges and universities, community colleges, technical and trade schools, as well as business, computer, and management training schools increased by 0.3 percent, or about 13,000 jobs, in Q1 2018 to just over 3.9 million jobs. This was about one-half the increase observed a year earlier in Q1 2017 when the increase was 0.7 percent, or about 26,500 jobs. However, a closer examination reveals that jobs at private institutions increased 1.01 percent, or about 14,800 jobs, while jobs at public institutions marginally declined 0.07 percent, or slightly less Year-Over-Year Percent Change in: Higher Education Jobs Total Overall Non-Farm Jobs Higher Education Jobs as Percent of All Jobs Year Annual Q1 Q1 Annual Q1 2018 0.3 1.52 2.64 2017 0.6 0.7 1.68 2.64 2.67 2016 0.2 0.2 1.88 2.67 2.70 2015 0.6 0.5 2.21 2.71 2.74 2014 0.3 0.4 1.66 2.75 2.79 2013 0.2 0.2 1.49 2.79 2.82 2012 0.7 0.8 1.85 2.83 2.86 than 1,800 jobs. Furthermore, the decline in the number of jobs at public institutions can be directly attributed to the decline in the number of jobs at community colleges, which are overwhelmingly public institutions as detailed in the legend of the pie chart below (and discussed in greater detail in the finding on page 8). Higher education jobs represented 2.64 percent of all jobs in the U.S. during Q1 2018, which was down from 2.67 percent in Q1 2017. This metric continues to trend downward primarily because overall U.S. employment has been increasing at a faster rate than higher education employment growth, which has been increasing at a comparatively moderate rate. All Public and Private Higher Education Employment, Q1 2018 4 Year Colleges and Universities 77.2% (44.8% public, 32.4% private) Community Colleges 17.8% (16.9% public, 0.7% private) Technical and Trade Schools 3.4% (0.6% public, 2.8% private) Business, Computer, and Management Training Schools 1.8% (0.1% public, 1.7% private) Sources: HigherEdJobs analysis of U.S. Department of Labor / Bureau of Labor Statistics data. 2 Higher Education Employment Report Q1 2018
Higher education job postings experienced much faster growth in Q1 2018 than the nominal growth observed one year earlier. 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 1,000,000 500,000 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 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: March data highlighted in yellow for ease of year-over-year comparisons.) The number of advertised job openings in academia increased 3.8 percent in Q1 2018, which was the highest quarterly growth rate regardless of quarter since Q3 2016, when higher education job postings increased 5.6 percent. In Q4 2016, Q1 2017, and Q2 2017, the number of postings for higher education jobs increased 3.4 percent, 0.5 percent, and 1.3 percent, respectively, before marginally declining 0.3 percent in Q3 2017, and then increasing 2.4 percent in Q4 2017. During Q1 2018 the total number of higher education jobs only marginally increased 0.3 percent compared to a lesser rate of growth one year earlier of 0.7 percent in Q1 2017. However, the increase in the number of higher education job postings in Q1 2018 was greater than the 0.5 percent rate of growth observed one year earlier in Q1 2017. In addition, the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center reports that overall postsecondary enrollments declined 1.3 percent in spring 2018 from the previous spring. The months of the spring semester (generally January through May) differ from the months of the first quarter (January through March) to a certain extent. The somewhat differing trends between job postings and overall higher education jobs could be because advertising to fill job openings may not occur in the same quarter as hiring occurs. The same may also be said for the differing trends of job postings and student enrollments. Furthermore, the job postings trend is further complicated by postings for part-time positions that declined in Q1 2018 (and discussed in several subsequent findings), which could be to fill openings on a more immediate basis, compared to postings for full-time openings, which may be utilized to address longer term, staffing strategies. Year-Over-Year Percent Change in: HigherEdJobs Total Higher Education Jobs Year Annual Q1 Annual Q1 2018 3.8 0.3 2017 0.9 0.5 0.6 0.7 2016 12.2 31.0 0.2 0.2 2015 18.5 12.4 0.6 0.5 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 Q1 2018 3
Both faculty and non-faculty job postings increased in Q1 2018. 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% 2015 2016 2017 2018 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Source: HigherEdJobs posting data from continuing unlimited posting subscribers. (Note: March data highlighted in yellow for ease of year-over-year comparisons.) Job postings for faculty positions increased 1.0 percent in Q1 2018 from Q1 2017. Although that may appear to be only nominal growth, it may be considered a clear improvement from the 5.7 percent decline one year earlier in Q1 2017 from Q1 2016. In addition, the increase in Q1 2018 compares favorably to the decline of 0.8 percent in the previous quarter of Q4 2017 from Q4 2016. At the same time, the number of administrative and executive job postings had a similar trend of increasing from the same quarter one year earlier as well as the previous quarter. Job postings for these non-faculty positions increased 4.6 percent in Q1 2018 from Q1 2017, which was faster growth than the 2.6 percent increase in Q1 2017 from Q1 2016. And similar to the trend observed with faculty job postings the Q1 2018 increase was an improvement from the 3.8 percent increase of these postings in the immediately preceding quarter of Q4 2017. However, despite the number of postings for faculty positions rising, the ratio of faculty to non-faculty job postings continued to decline in Q1 2018, which has occurred in every first quarter since at least 2014. Faculty job postings represented 22.8 percent in Q1 2018 of all job postings, slightly down from 23.4 percent in Q1 2017 and 25.0 percent in Q1 2016. One possible explanation for the slow increase relative to previous years for job postings for faculty positions as well as non-faculty positions is the increase of postings for full-time positions that may be occurring at the expense of postings for part-time positions, which are decreasing. The trends for part-time and full-time job postings are examined in greater detail in the following two findings that found that the number for all full-time job postings increased in Q1 2018 and declined for all part-time job postings. Perhaps, instead of advertising for two or more part-time positions, academe is possibly feeling confident enough about the future to create a single full-time position. Percent of Job That Were: Year Faculty Positions First Quarter Administrative and Executive Positions 2018 22.8 77.2 Faculty Positions Annual Administrative and Executive Positions 2017 23.4 76.6 24.7 75.3 2016 25.0 75.0 25.1 74.9 2015 26.6 73.4 26.0 74.0 2014 27.5 72.5 28.2 71.8 Source: HigherEdJobs posting data from continuing unlimited posting subscribers. 4 Higher Education Employment Report Q1 2018
Growth in job postings in Q1 2018 was driven entirely by an increase in job postings for full-time positions, which was the same trend observed in the immediately preceding quarter. Average Percentage of Part-Time Percent Part-Time Job 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Source: HigherEdJobs posting data from continuing unlimited posting subscribers. (Note: March data highlighted in yellow for ease of year-over-year comparisons.) The increase in all higher education job postings during Q1 2018 was entirely driven by an increase in the number of job postings for full-time positions since postings for parttime positions declined. This was the same trend observed in the immediately preceding quarter of Q4 2017, which was the first time this relationship job postings for full-time positions increasing while postings for part-time positions declined occurred since at least Q1 2015, regardless of quarter. The number of job postings for part-time positions decreased 5.0 percent in Q1 2018, almost a 21-percentage point difference from the 15.8 percentage increase one year earlier in Q1 2017. The decline in postings in Q1 2018 for part-time positions was only the second decline observed since at least 2015, regardless of quarter; the first occurred in the immediately preceding quarter of Q4 2017 when they decreased 8.0 percent. Meanwhile, the number of job postings for full-time positions increased 5.4 percent in Q1 2018, a clear improvement from the 4.6 percent increase observed in Q4 2017 and only the second time this metric increased since Q4 2016. It should be pointed out that there for were six full-time job postings for every one part-time job posting. The decline in postings for part-time positions could be due to myriad reasons including higher education hiring managers and executives feeling confident enough about future enrollments and staffing levels to create full-time positions and wanting to depend less on part-time positions to fill staffing gaps. Average Percentage of Part-Time Percent Change in Number of Part-Time Full-Time Year Annual Q1 Q1 Q1 2018 16.6-5.0 5.4 2017 20.2 18.5 15.8-1.9 2016 19.1 15.6 26.0 31.9 2015 17.9 16.4 21.9 11.0 Source: HigherEdJobs posting data from continuing unlimited posting subscribers. Higher Education Employment Report Q1 2018 5
As observed in the immediately preceding quarter, job postings for full-time faculty and administrators increased while postings for part-time faculty and administrators declined in Q1 2018. 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 Q1 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Source: HigherEdJobs posting data from continuing unlimited posting subscribers. Job postings for full-time faculty positions increased 4.1 percent during Q1 2018 compared to a year ago, which is especially notable compared to the relatively large decline of 11.7 percent observed a year earlier in Q1 2017. In addition, and contrary to recent trends, postings for part-time faculty declined 6.1 percent in Q1 2018, which is in sharp contrast to the 11.1 percent increase observed a year earlier in Q1 2017. for full-time administrative positions increased 5.6 percent during Q1 2018, which was more than five times the 1.1 percent increase a year earlier in Q1 2017. Similar to the trend with part-time faculty, postings for parttime administrative positions also decreased during Q1 2018, declining 4.0 percent compared to the same period the year before when they increased 20.2 percent. As discussed in other findings, the decline of job postings for both types of part-time positions during the first quarter and noticeable increases for full-time job postings for both could indicate administrators believe enrollment variations are lessening and therefore can make longer-term staffing decisions, albeit cautiously. Academe may be replacing several part-time positions with single full-time positions. If so, that may help explain why the number of postings for full-time positions is rising as the number of postings for part-time positions falls. Percent of Full-Time and Part-Time Job Faculty Job Year Change in Full-Time Change in Part-Time Change in Q1 Full-Time Change in Q1 Part-Time 2018 4.1-6.1 2017-2.2 1.9-11.7 11.1 2016 6.1 13.7 25.4 16.5 2015 4.7 20.4 1.1 36.9 Administrative Job Year Change in Full-Time Change in Part-Time Change in Q1 Full-Time Change in Q1 Part-Time 2018 5.6-4.0 2017 0.7 10.2 1.1 20.2 2016 12.6 23.9 34.5 36.2 2015 23.7 15.6 15.3 9.3 Source: HigherEdJobs posting data from continuing unlimited posting subscribers. 6 Higher Education Employment Report Q1 2018
Both job postings and employment at community colleges continued to decline in Q1 2018. 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 1,000 700,000 600,000 500,000 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 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: March data highlighted in yellow for ease of year-over-year comparisons.) The number of job postings at community colleges decreased in Q1 2018 for the fifth consecutive quarter. Similarly, employment at community colleges has decreased for more than four straight years, or the 17th consecutive year-over-year quarterly decrease of this metric. Job postings for open positions at community colleges declined 3.9 percent in Q1 2018. In addition, these postings declined yearover- year in every quarter of 2017. The 3.9 percent decline in community college job postings during Q1 2018 from the year before was fairly broadbased, but there were exceptions. Job postings for all part-time positions declined 18.8 percent in Q1 2018 from Q1 2017 while postings for some full-time positions increased 4.5 percent (postings for full-time administrative positions increased 5.3 percent and postings for full-time faculty increased by the same percentage). Meanwhile, employment at community colleges decreased 1.4 percent, or about 9,500 jobs, during Q1 2018 from Q1 2017. Since Q4 2013, the last time community college jobs increased year-over-year, they have shed approximately 85,200 jobs, or about 11.0 percent. Year-Over-Year Percent Change in: Community College Job (HigherEdJobs) Community College Job (BLS) Year Annual Q1 Annual Q1 2018-3.9-1.4 2017-6.0-3.4-1.9-1.6 2016 14.5 18.5-1.0-1.1 2015 12.0 20.0-1.4-1.0 Sources: HigherEdJobs posting data from continuing unlimited posting subscribers; Higher education jobs based on analysis of U.S. Department of Labor / BLS 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 Q1 2018 7
The Northeast experienced the largest percentage increase in higher education job postings while the West experienced a nominal decline. Change in Higher Education Job by Census Region and Division Q1 2017 to Q1 2018 Source: HigherEdJobs job postings from unlimited posting subscribers in Q1 2017 and Q1 2018. MIDWEST WEST -0.5 West North Central 1.8 East North Central Middle Atlantic New England 0.6 Pacific -0.2-0.1 5.2 0.9 11.6 NORTHEAST 7.4 10.4 0.7 South Atlantic Mountain 14.6 SOUTH 6.4 East South Central West South Central During the first quarter of 2018, the Northeast experienced the largest percentage increase in higher education job postings, expanding by 7.4 percent and representing 24.1 percent of all postings during the quarter. However, the South, which represents 34.0 percent of all job postings, experienced similar, but slightly slower growth of 6.4 percent in Q1 2018. In addition, the South s West South Central area, which consists of only four states (Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas), experienced the country s largest area growth with an increase of 14.6 percent in job postings. In contrast, the West, which represents 25.0 percent of all higher education postings, was the only region that declined, albeit slightly at only a 0.5 percent decrease in job postings. The overall number of job postings in the cohort for this regional analysis increased 4.0 percent. It should be pointed out that the group 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. (http://www2.census.gov/geo/pdfs/maps-data/maps/reference/us_regdiv.pdf) 8 Higher Education Employment Report Q1 2018
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 (www.steinbergemploymentresearch.com), 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, www.higheredjobs.com, 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 16803 814.861.3080 HigherEdJobs.com sales@higheredjobs.com
The candidates you hire today will impact your institution tomorrow. HigherEdJobs has the audience of higher education professionals with the experience you re looking for. 88% hold an advanced degree and 67% have worked in higher ed for 5+ years. Recruiting with HigherEdJobs ensures your school will attract and hire the very best. Learn more at HigherEdJobs.com or call 814.861.3080