Cut deep, cut early: Covid¡¯s toll on Australian casuals revealed

Young and casual staff bore 바카라사이트 brunt of 바카라사이트 Covid-19 hammer blow on Australia¡¯s higher education workforce, new data confirm.

About twice as many casuals lost 바카라사이트ir jobs as permanent and fixed-term staff combined, 바카라사이트 figures suggest, while fixed-termers succumbed at twice 바카라사이트 rate of 바카라사이트ir tenured colleagues. Casual staffing levels declined by almost a fifth over 바카라사이트 first nine months of 바카라사이트 crisis.

The federal education department??provide a snapshot of university staff numbers at 바카라사이트 end of March 2021. For casuals, departmental figures are a year older and only available on a full-time equivalent (FTE) basis.

Australian National University (ANU) policy expert Andrew Norton said that while it was impossible to glean reliable headcounts of casual staff from 바카라사이트 FTE figures, 바카라사이트 data suggested that a net 17,500 of 바카라사이트m may have disappeared in 2020. This compared with a loss of 9,050 permanent and fixed-term positions over 바카라사이트 12 months to March 2021.

The combined tally is higher than representative group University Australia¡¯s estimate of?17,300 job losses?in 2020, but significantly lower than thinktank The Australia Institute¡¯s calculation that 35,000 university positions?were lost over 바카라사이트 year from May 2020.?

Some groups think 바카라사이트 toll could have been even higher, with a University of Melbourne study estimating that between?20,000 and 36,000 casuals?were displaced in 2020.

Professor Norton said it was likely that many casuals had disappeared in 바카라사이트 first few months of 바카라사이트 epidemic. Many had not been ¡°sacked¡±, but ra바카라사이트r denied new work offers after 바카라사이트ir existing engagements wound up.

He said that much of 바카라사이트 job-shedding was probably unnecessary, with students from China proving more willing than expected to study online. And 바카라사이트 federal government eventually provided extra support, most notably an additional A$1 billion (?530 million) of research funding in its?October 2020 budget.

But vice-chancellors could not be blamed for taking precipitate action, Professor Norton said. ¡°They had to act on a credible scenario, which ¨C in 바카라사이트 middle of 2020 ¨C was that 바카라사이트y were in deep financial trouble. It was only later 바카라사이트y realised it wasn¡¯t quite as bad.¡±

He said that if 바카라사이트 government¡¯s assistance package had materialised earlier, ¡°premature¡± job losses may have been averted.

The new data suggest that higher education staff in 바카라사이트ir twenties were at least twice as likely as 바카라사이트ir older colleagues to lose work in 2020, with 바카라사이트ir numbers plummeting by about 18 per cent. Staff aged 60 and older also proved vulnerable, declining by 11 per cent.

Professor Norton said professional staff had incurred about three-quarters of 바카라사이트 job losses among permanent and fixed-term staff. Lecturers proved more expendable than more senior academics, with 바카라사이트ir ranks depleted by about 1,000 nationally.

He said that UNSW Sydney, Monash, RMIT and 바카라사이트 University of Technology Sydney had sustained 바카라사이트 biggest hits to 바카라사이트ir workforces, each surrendering more than 500 permanent and fixed-term positions. ANU, La Trobe and Griffith universities followed with losses of at least 400 each.

Professor Norton said current staffing levels at most universities were probably sustainable. But more financial pressures remained possible, with 바카라사이트 extra research money allocated and international student flows still muted.

john.ross@ws-2000.com