State of the Sector and workloads.

Te Hautū Kahurangi | Tertiary Education Union’s State of the Sector research has quantified and highlighted the growing problem of unmanageable workloads in the tertiary education sector.

In 2020, “survey results showed evidence that more than two-thirds of academics and more than 40% of general and allied staff worked hours additional to those prescribed in their contact.”

In 2021, 62% of general staff and 77% of academic staff said their workloads had increased. 76% of academics said they have less time and capacity for research and, sadly, 61% felt that the increased workload has “caused them to question their own competence including the quality of their teaching and capacity to support students.”

Last year, a record 1,021 people contributed to the third iteration of our COVID-19 surveys, including over 3,000 written comments that drove home the gravity of a sector in crisis due to, amongst other things, chronic underfunding and managerialism.

The ongoing collection of this information demonstrates to leaders in the sector the changes needed to ensure tertiary education institutions are good places to work.

Our next major survey will begin collecting responses from Monday 28 March. Keep an eye on your inbox for your chance to participate and contribute to the data that will shape the future of our sector. And make sure all your colleagues know about this important survey.

Additionally, Te Hautū Kahurangi | Tertiary Education Union is running a major campaign to raise awareness around workload problems and find solutions. Keep an eye out for our nationwide tea break on March 25th.