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Restructures, redundancies and workforce downsizing : Implications for Australian higher education sector post COVID-19
Owens, Alison Loomes, Susan Kearns, Margot Mahoney, Peter
Owens, Alison
Loomes, Susan
Kearns, Margot
Mahoney, Peter
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Abstract
This paper reports on research conducted with staff employed in the Australian higher education sector during the COVID-19 pandemic. The sector has been significantly impacted, particularly those institutions heavily reliant on revenue from international student enrolments. Universities moved swiftly to introduce cost-savings measures such as, deferring capital works spending and reducing non-salary expenditure, scaling back casual and fixed term staff and cuts to executive staff salaries, followed by rounds of redundancies, early retirement offers and termination of staff, often framed as organisational restructuring. However, financial data for the 2021-22 period indicate that some institutions have actioned disproportionate staff cuts related to net income, often badging this downsizing as organisational restructure. This information is discussed in terms of the potential implications for the higher education sector in planning for, and meeting workforce needs, as it seeks to regenerate a sustainable business model post-pandemic.
Keywords
COVID-19
Date
2022
Type
Journal article
Journal
Australian Universities' Review
Book
Volume
64
Issue
2
Page Range
7-14
Article Number
ACU Department
Centre for Education and Innovation
School of Behavioural and Health Sciences
Faculty of Health Sciences
School of Behavioural and Health Sciences
Faculty of Health Sciences
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DOI
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Open Access Status
License
All rights reserved
File Access
Controlled