The national data picture is mixed,
but decidedly supports a relatively flat
employment picture for higher education. The Bureau of Labor Statistics
FACULTY REPORT JOB PLACEMENT REMAINS STRONG
(BLS) 2010 Occupational Outlook
Handbook reports data on a variety of
educational administrator positions.
According to the BLS data, despite the
vast fall-off in overall U.S. employment
due to the recession, the total number
of jobs in higher education remains
stable and continues to follow normal historical patterns. In projecting
employment trends for 2008–18, the
BLS shows a very slow growth profile
for postsecondary education administrators, the category that includes
student affairs professionals.
Percentage of faculty who responded
Percentage of cohort placed in professional positions
The low/slow growth profile for
postsecondary administrator jobs
coincides with an already sluggish job
market among all job sectors. “The
Not Sure 81% – 100% 61% – 80% 41% – 60% 21% – 40% 0% – 20%
Source: “Graduate Faculty Employment Survey” (NASPA, 2010)
One measure of the employment picture is the number of job
postings on higher education and student affairs online job
boards. Layoffs, hiring freezes, increases in temporary and con-
tract jobs, and eliminated positions were widespread through-
out higher education in 2008–09. For student affairs, this
case is best illustrated by the significant drop in jobs posted
throughout the year on The Placement Exchange online jobs
board. The 38 percent decrease in the number of jobs posted
on The Placement Exchange, while only one measure from
one source, reflects the challenges faced as the recession began
to affect higher education nationally.
HigherEdJobs.com found similar results in tracking job
postings on its site, which covers positions across higher
education. Its Spring 2010 Higher Education Employment
Report noted that the number of jobs in higher education has
remained relatively stable, and advertising for open positions
in the industry is showing signs of growth. The report found
that the number of advertised job openings in academe, which
started to decline at the end of 2008 and continued through-
out most of 2009, began to recover at the end of 2009 and
continued upward during the first quarter of 2010.
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
Job Outlook 2010 Spring Update” conducted by the National
Association of Career Educators (NACE) shows that employers plan to hire 5. 3 percent more new college graduates in
2009–10 than they did in 2008–09. That is the good news.
The bad news is the economy has not fully recovered from the
2008–10 period when available positions for college graduates
plummeted by some 35 to 40 percent.
Measuring Job Postings
ONLINE JOB POSTINGS REBOUND
A View from the Graduate Preparation Programs
In July 2009, NASPA conducted a brief survey of faculty in
graduate preparation programs to assess placement rates and
faculty perspectives on the job market for master’s degree
candidates. When asked the percentage of their graduate-level
cohort that had been placed in professional positions, nearly
65 percent of those surveyed indicated that between 60 and
100 percent of master’s students had assumed new jobs.
Comments from participating faculty reflect the difficulty
some students are facing:
“The job market has been much more difficult
these last two years. Students still do not have positions and are looking outside the functional areas
they prefer as well as relocating to other cities to
secure employment.”
Source: The Placement Exchange, 2007–10
26 • NASPA • LEADERSHIP EXCHANGE / FALL 2010 2000
1500
“It seems much more difficult for our graduates
to secure jobs this year. It also seems like people
are not leaving their jobs in residence life, which
