Workforce Changes in Higher Ed See Faculty Growth but Staff Decline -- How Is Your Institution Adapting?
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The higher education workforce is showing significant hiring change among both staff and faculty, While faculty headcounts are on the rise across all categories, staff headcounts are experiencing steep declines amid a volatile hiring landscape. One key metric studied in the workforce surveys conducted annually by CUPA-HR is the percentage change in headcounts. In the most recent study, staff numbers ("staff" defined here as any non-faculty employee) -- inclusive of both full-time and part-time positions -- saw a drastic decrease in 2025. Collectively, full-time staff decreased by -6.6%, and more startling part-time staff saw a -23.9% decrease. These changes in headcount size reflect a shift from the record growth experienced in 2024, a year that saw a 6.5% increase in full-time staff and a 21.1% surge in part-time staff.
Conversely, in 2025, the tenure-track faculty workforce witnessed the highest single-year growth increase since 2016 at 7.0%. By comparison, 2024 saw a 1.1% increase. While tenure-track faculty experienced the highest degree of positive change, non-tenure-track and adjunct faculty numbers also increased, though modestly. Non-tenure-track faculty size increased by 2.1% (compared to 3.6% in 2024) and adjunct faculty size increased by 0.9% (a steady rise from the 0.3% seen in 2024).
This new data begs several questions worth investigating: What is contributing to staff reduction within higher ed? Can faculty expect a steady hiring resurgence after years of instability? What efforts can institutions prioritize to adapt to an evolving workforce?
What Factors Are Driving the Dip in Staff Headcounts?
Over the last few years, higher education has faced increased challenges ranging from federal policy changes to continued budgetary uncertainty, as outlined in . In addition, the once-looming-now-realized demographic cliff has already shown signs of lower enrollment rates, a fact detailed in a from May of this year. These driving forces seem to be pushing institutions towards reshaping budget plans and rethinking their hiring strategies.
The impact of cost-cutting often falls disproportionately on institutional staff, being that staff roles are not tied to accreditation, degree programs, or instructional capacity. However, according to Antoniette Lancaster, business coordinator, payroll & HR from the University of Maryland, intentional hiring could be a support pillar for institutions to lean on during times of workforce fluctuation.
"From what I've seen, there's a focus on being intentional about how positions are filled," she said. "When there are vacancies or delays in hiring, the work doesn't stop, so departments may have to shift responsibilities, prioritize certain needs, or look at temporary support while determining the best way to move forward with a position."
Lancaster also suggests that focusing on existing staff retention could bolster hiring strategies amid staff declines as we are seeing now.
"Retaining the employees who are already here is just as important as hiring," she noted. "When staffing changes, existing employees are often taking on additional responsibilities, so clear communication, flexibility, and mindfulness of workload are important."
Faculty Trends Reflect Positive Growth
Meanwhile, faculty hiring (for both tenure-track and non-tenure-track) is experiencing a course-correction following the great hiring decline felt during the pandemic. The faculty growth increase suggests that a stronger emphasis is being placed on securing instructional roles. Efforts to increase enrollment through faculty expansion -- especially in critical and hard to fill fields, such as healthcare and engineering -- support the recent upward trend.
Post-pandemic, higher ed continued to see non-tenure-track positions comprise nearly half of the faculty workforce, a trend outlined in a The recent move towards hiring more tenure-track faculty over contingent appointments from the 2025 data could be a sign of recalibrating faculty hiring standards.
Interpreting the Staff and Faculty Divide
The key findings from the CUPA-HR workforce survey echo longstanding industry sentiment. The hiring divide between staff and faculty intersects growing economic strain and a shrinking college-age demographic, with both contributing to institution-wide restructuring. While the past decade has seen minimal growth in faculty, the 7% increase in tenure-track and the 2.1% increase in non-tenure-track is a positive trend that seems to reflect a more pronounced effort from institutions to support core instructional missions. However, staff are now experiencing the inverse. The increase in external pressures often hits administrative and part-time workers first.
Even so, based on past cyclical hiring trends as seen in the CUPA-HR survey data, the leveling of staff numbers is something institutions can hope for.
Hope for a Stabilized Workforce
Higher ed staff and faculty experience the peaks and valleys of workforce changes in tandem. Staff seem to be taking the brunt of the recent changes, but that doesn't necessarily equate to a simple priority shift towards faculty positions. Rather, faculty seem to be simultaneously experiencing stabilization after enduring years of decline.
It may be too early to predict if these current workforce changes will become permanent fixtures in the years to come. However, there are practical strategies employers can consider while adapting alongside waves of hiring disruption to support staff, faculty, and leaders alike. Solutions can look like:
- Revisiting workforce plans with various funding scenarios in mind
- Auditing staff functions for workflow optimization and task consolidation
- Intentional planning efforts for current and future roles
- Focusing on staff retention through communication and flexibility
Understanding workforce changes is critical when it comes to planning budgets, hiring strategies, and retention efforts. While surveys like the ones conducted by CUPA-HR provide invaluable and insightful data, institutions should view the information as an entry point for campus-wide evaluation and use it as a tool to help them adapt to industry changes.
