What’s New
The number of full-time, nonexempt staff working in higher education has shrunk by 9 percent since 2017, according to a new analysis by the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources. The number of part-time nonexempt staff fell by about 8 percent.
Nonexempt staff, who are required to be paid overtime when they work more than 40 hours a week, includes clerks, office assistants, skilled craftspeople like carpenters and electricians, police officers, custodians, and food-service workers.
Jacqueline Bichsel, associate vice president for research at CUPA-HR and one of the authors of the analysis, said in an email that although all areas of the higher-ed work force experienced declines after the pandemic, the drops were sharpest and most sustained among nonexempt employees.
“Just in terms of sheer numbers — when you think about the fact that these employees (custodians, food-service workers, police officers, office assistants, electricians, groundskeepers, and so many others) are sustaining much of what makes a campus livable, safe, and vibrant — it’s hard to believe that this reduction in staff would not make a difference in the day-to-day experience of all staff who work on campus, as well as students and anyone who visits,” Bichsel wrote in an email. It’s likely that the remaining nonexempt employees are now being asked to do more with less, she added.
The Details
The analysis, by Bichsel and her colleague Melissa Fuesting, examined data from 2016-17 to 2023-24. In the most recent year analyzed, the number of nonexempt employees grew slightly for the first time since the pandemic.
“Although nonexempt staff are ubiquitous on every college campus, they are largely unseen,” Bichsel wrote. “Whether leaders realize it or not, nonexempt staff are a big part of an institution’s reputation as an employer of choice. The development and retention of nonexempt staff is important for maintaining continuity and ensuring there are no surprise gaps in vital services.”
The analysis quantified the impact of the pandemic on staffing. The number of full-time nonexempt staff fell by 3.3 percent in 2021, and the number of part-time nonexempt staff fell by 17.2 percent.
The impacts of the pandemic varied for different kinds of workers. The number of workers who provide services to students and staff on campuses, such as custodians and food-service workers, fell in the two years after the onset of the pandemic but grew again as people returned to campus. Technical and paraprofessional workers, on the other hand, were the only group that grew in the year after the pandemic.
Beyond the pandemic, the researchers hypothesize that budget cuts and outsourcing of certain functions may have also contributed to the shrinking number of nonexempt staff, who make up 28 percent of the work force in higher education.
The analysis also examined the median ages of nonexempt workers. It found that the proportion of workers who were 55 years or older decreased from 34 percent in 2019-20 to 31 percent in 2023-24. In particular, the proportion of skilled crafts workers who were 55 and older declined from 43 percent to 37 percent during that timeframe. The smaller proportion of older workers could reflect the number of staff who were at or near retirement age when the pandemic began and who left and have not returned, the researchers wrote.
The Backdrop
The federal funding cuts under President Trump’s administration and the general atmosphere of uncertainty have already prompted many colleges to institute hiring freezes or chills, along with other budget restraints. And even before the start of Trump’s second term, many colleges were struggling with declining student enrollment.
Academic workers are exhausted. In a recent Chronicle survey of about 4,100 employees at two- and four-year colleges nationwide, more than six in 10 administrators, faculty, and staff members reported working more than they had five years ago; more than four in 10 said they were working significantly more.
What to Watch For
Based on their findings, Bichsel and Fuesting offer a number of recommendations to college leaders:
- Try to get a better grasp of what is affecting nonexempt-staffing trends.
- Don’t pile additional work onto the nonexempt employees who remain, which can hurt job satisfaction. Instead, figure out what work can be cut or changed to fit the new staffing levels.
- Identify skill gaps and figure out how best to fill them.
- Invest in nonexempt employees to help them grow in their careers and potentially be promoted.
- Conduct pay reviews to ensure employees are paid equitably regardless of race/ethnicity and gender.
