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Nov 19, 2007

Nearly half of faculty to be replaced in next decade, report says

Category: General

Posted by: webmaster

Article by: Elizabeth Church, Globe and Mail

Canadian universities are in the midst of a major hiring spree as they face the prospect of replacing about half of their faculty in the coming decade, a trend that is likely to intensify the competition for talent on campuses across the country, a new report predicts.

"There will be lots and lots of job opportunities in the future, that's the good news," said Tom Traves, president of Dalhousie University and chairman of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, which produced the report.

For universities, the news may not be so cheery, Dr. Traves cautioned, as they compete with institutions around the world for faculty, and with the growing opportunities available in the public and private sector. "Just at the moment when we have a huge expansion, it is going to be increasingly difficult to fill all these slots. That is worrisome."

He said the numbers highlight the need for more graduate spaces as well as support for existing students in order to meet the needs of universities and the broader economy.

The study, to be released tomorrow, finds that universities have created more than 7,000 full-time faculty jobs since 1998 - a growth fuelled by rising enrolment and increased government support for research.

At the same time, a wave of retirements by faculty who started their careers during the boom years of the 1960s and 1970s has begun. That trend has opened up existing positions that also need to be filled. For the first time in several years, those under 40 now represent more than 20 per cent of full-time faculty. Still, more than one-third of faculty was 55 or older in 2006, the study finds.

The average age of faculty was 49 last year, compared with 42 two decades ago.

Even with changes to mandatory retirement laws in many provinces, the study predicts about 22,000 faculty will retire or leave their jobs on campus in the next decade. Between 3,600 and 13,600 new positions could also be created during that time, depending on enrolment growth and government funding, it forecasts.

Similar trends in other countries, especially the United States where Canadian universities have often turned for talent, will intensify the demand for new PhDs and more senior professors.

The trend is in stark contrast to the experience on campuses between 1992 and 1998, when cuts to research and operating budgets led to a 10-per-cent reduction in full-time faculty.

"There has really been a sea-change," said Herb O'Heron, a senior adviser with the university association and the study's author. "This is a very, very different job market than a decade ago."

Mr. O'Heron said the change is the result of a "double whammy" created by the need to replace retiring staff at the same time as new posts are being created.

What has not changed as dramatically is the representation of women in faculties, especially in some disciplines such as engineering, physical sciences, mathematics and computer sciences. Women are also far less likely to hold senior posts. Women make up 33 per cent of full-time faculty but hold just 20 per cent of full professor positions. They account for 36 per cent of associate professors, 41 per cent of assistant professors and 55 per cent of lecturers.

The study predicts that the turnover and expansion expected in the next decade will likely increase the number of women on faculties and in senior posts. Still, the gender gap among graduate students in some areas of study means that some disparity is likely to continue.

The study, conducted by the organization that represents 92 universities and university colleges in Canada, is the second volume of its Trends report produced this year. It builds on enrollment projections released this spring.

It notes that even with the increase in positions, faculty numbers have not kept pace with the growth in enrollment on campuses across the country.

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